


13: Not So Unlucky Anymore

by EHC



Series: 13 Soulmates [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Multi, Not to be taken seriously, kind of silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2020-11-02 13:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 48,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20755481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHC/pseuds/EHC
Summary: Soulmates. A very real phenomenon. And a source of much debate.What godly (or ungodly) system exists that can magically (or mundanely) ensure that two (or more) people are destined to be happy together? It was weird. It was neat. It was terrifying. It was glorious.Thank God (or Goddess, or gods, or whatever) that they were also exceedingly rare.Maybe.





	1. Missing the Mark(s)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, this work is based on a weird idea I had that combined concepts from two other fanfics: [Boundaries and Limits](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4638675), by [Flushedfox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flushedfox/pseuds/Flushedfox), and [Soulmates](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15281859/chapters/35451204), by [googlycat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/googlycat/pseuds/googlycat). The former was the first time I had seen Max as a responsible Domme, and with multiple partners, no less (and also the first time I've seen a submissive Victoria). The latter is probably the kinkiest _Life Is Strange_ fic I've seen, and a soulmate AU to boot. I liked that combo quite a bit. And, hey, it also inspired Worthy!
> 
> Anyway, as the tags say, this story is more than a bit silly and not to be taken too seriously. Similar to Time After Time, I have a couple of scenes in mind for this AU and not much more. So the plan is, write them out, upload them, and see what happens next. And most importantly, it will hopefully get me started writing again so I can finally get back to Worthy.

Soulmates. A very real phenomenon. And a source of much debate.

What godly (or ungodly) system exists that can magically (or mundanely) ensure that two (or more) people are destined to be happy together? It was weird. It was neat. It was terrifying. It was glorious.

Thank God (or Goddess, or gods, or whatever) that they were also exceedingly rare.

Maybe.

What constitutes rarity with a world population of 7.1 billion people, anyway?

Eh, whatever. Soulmates definitely weren't common, in any case.

All anyone knew for certain was that once you met your soulmate, a mark would appear on your body sometime later. A Permanent mark. And yes, that was Permanent with a capital "P." Those who actually bore a soulmark had explained that it wouldn't wash off, couldn't be cut or burned or damaged, rejected the ink of a tattoo, and was impossible to remove, surgically or otherwise. Not that anyone would try removing one. No one sane, anyway. But, wasn't there a news article way back when about some deranged couple who attempted to remove each other's marks to gift them to each other?

It was enough to give anyone the willies.

Typically, it was in an obvious place. Better for soulmates to identify each other, probably. The size of the mark varied as did the shape, though color would only appear once the mark was kissed by the joining soulmate. But whatever the image was, it was supposed to be significant in some way to the bearers.

Chloe ran her thumb over the black butterfly that adorned the inside of her left wrist and wondered what significance, if any, it held for her supposed other. Who wasn't Rachel. And that fact alone really, really pissed her off.

Last night was so fucked up. One moment, nothing. The next, soulmark. Chloe had been driving at the time and when she noticed its sudden appearance and was so shocked by it, she nearly ran a red light. The second she was able, she made a U-turn and hauled ass back to Blackwell to find her girlfriend. Because if Chloe got her mark, and Rachel got a matching mark, then...

Her excitement was short-lived. A mark did, in fact, appear on Rachel's wrist, same place as hers, but it was a star and not a butterfly. It was a crushing moment for the two of them to realize that yes, as rare as soulmates were and as unexpected as it was for the two of them to get marks, they didn't actually match. That meant they were going to be paired up with someone else, someone who would absolutely, completely break them apart. Because that's what soulmates did, right? Shatter established relationships because of destiny or whatever-the-fuck, right?

Fuck that.

Chloe spent the night over at Rachel's dorm room that evening, the two reassuring one another that they'd always have each other and would never, ever leave. They even briefly entertained the thought of eloping to prevent each other's soulmate from breaking them apart but ran into a logistical problem: would anyone actually marry them if they clearly had non-matching soulmate marks? Neither knew. It wasn't anything that had ever come up before. A quick Google search pulled up nothing and it was pretty late in the night to ask anyone else. So, the pair, still very much loving girlfriends, and still very much nude (they _really_ wanted to reassure each other), pulled the covers over themselves and held each other close, promising that they'd always be together, forever and ever, until finally, they fell asleep.

* * *

It was while Rachel was in the bathroom the next morning that life got... weird.

She had finished her shower and was standing in front of the mirror, wrapping a towel around her hair, when Juliet entered, groggy, wrapped in a robe, shower caddy in hand. Rachel smiled and nodded her head slightly as her hands were still busy. "Morning."

"Hey," was the sleepy reply accompanied by a short wave of Juliet's free hand.

Her left hand.

Rachel blinked and forgot all about her towel. "What's that?" she asked, pointing.

"Hmm?" Juliet glanced down. "My caddy?"

"No, other hand."

Juliet raised her hand and spread her fingers. "Huh. Yeah, color's chipping a bit. I'll have to redo them soon."

Rachel let out an annoyed huff. "No, not your nails." She stepped up to Juliet, took a hold of her left hand, and turned it over. "This," she stated, pointing to the mark she knew for a fact wasn't there the previous night. "What's this?"

Blinking, Juliet stared down at the black mark on the inside of her wrist that looked like a pocket-sized notepad and a short pencil. "I suppose that's my soulmark."

This time, it was Rachel's turn to blink. "You're surprisingly unexcited about it."

"I was last night," Juliet replied, "but when I checked and found out Zach doesn't have one and Dana's didn't match, the excitement kind of died off. I'll figure it out eventually so why worry about it now?"

"Wait." Rachel let go of Juliet's wrist and took a step back. "Dana got a mark, too?"

Juliet nodded as she covered her mouth. "Uh-huh," she said as she yawned mightily. "Sorry. I was up late last night with her, trying to find out if her symbol had any deeper significance or not."

Gears began spinning in Rachel's mind. "And about what time did this happen?"

The bathroom door opening interrupted the conversation. The two turned to see Dana walk in, who gave the pair a friendly wave. "Morning."

"Hey, D," Rachel greeted her with a smile. "I was just asking Juliet about your soulmarks."

"Oh, it was so exciting!" Dana's face lit up as she stepped forward. "Juliet and I were hanging out and suddenly, both our wrists had the marks. Here, check it out!" She thrust out her left arm towards Rachel, who examined Dana's mark. It was, appropriately enough, a pair of pom-poms, though, like Juliet's, a lot of the detail was lost due to the mark being completely black.

"I'm so happy for you!" Rachel stated as she looked back at Dana. And she genuinely was. Dana was such a romantic at heart. But the excitement she'd normally feel on behalf of her friend was tempered by a healthy dose of curiosity. "And about what time did the mark show up?"

"I'd say between 12 and 12:15?" she replied, looking towards Juliet for confirmation.

Who nodded even as she yawned again. "Uh-huh."

Dana turned back to Rachel. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Rachel mentally shrugged and lifted her left arm, exposing her own mark to the pair. "That's about the same time Chloe and I got ours."

That finally woke Juliet up.

* * *

A couple of hurried showers later, and both Dana and Juliet joined Rachel and Chloe in Rachel's dorm, all of whom were discussing the sheer improbability of four students at the same school getting their soulmarks at exactly the same time. "And here I thought they were rare," Juliet stated with a shake of her head.

"Okay, seriously, what percentage of 7.1 billion would constitute 'rare?' 'Cause I've been asking myself that and haven't come up with an answer."

Juliet looked at Chloe and realized she had no idea. "Huh. I'll have to look that up later."

"Back to the important thing, babe," Rachel said. "Four marks, one school. All different shapes but all in the same location." She looked around the room. "That has to means something, right?"

"But none of them match," Dana pointed out. "If they did, or if we were all carrying a blend of each other's marks, that would make more sense, even though the chances of that happening is bordering on ridiculous."

"Whatever the statistical chances are, what we're looking at is 100%," Chloe said with a shrug. "But mark or no, I'm already committed to Rachel. Anyone comes in to break that up is going to get my boot up his ass."

Rachel beamed at that while Juliet nodded. Dana, though, looked a bit scandalized. "But, they'd be soulmates."

Chloe waved that aside. "Whatever. I love Rachel, she loves me. And any soulmate worth his salt had damn well understand that. And the last time I checked, someone having a soulmark doesn't give them the right to just claim his other out of the clear blue sky."

"Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you checked?" Juliet asked.

"Last night," Chloe replied without missing a beat, "because nothing and no one is going to get in the way of our relationship."

The sound of someone clearing her throat interrupted any response from the others. The four turned to see Victoria, clad in loose-fitting pajamas and matching slippers, standing right outside Rachel's open door, hands on her hips. "I could hear you Power Rangers down the hall," she stated with a slight scowl. "What's got your collective panties in a wad so damn early on a Saturday?"

"If we're the Power Rangers," Chloe stated with a smirk, "does that make you Vicky Repulsa?"

Victoria's scowl deepened as the other three girls giggled. "What-the-fuck ever," she stated with a dismissive of her hand. "Just keep it down--"

"Wait!" Juliet shot from her seat and approached Victoria. "What's that on your wrist?"

Victoria stopped and immediately jerked her hand behind her back. "None of your fucking business, Watson."

Normally, Juliet would be miffed at Victoria's shit attitude. But not this time. Instead, she simply exposed her left wrist to Victoria, showing off her soulmark, then glanced over her shoulder to see the others do the same.

Everyone watched as Victoria went from overly defensive to stunned. "No way..." Slowly, she exposed her own wrist to the room, which looked like a black disc. "No fucking way."

"Appeared around 12 to 12:15 last night?" Rachel asked.

Victoria nodded. "Yeah, about that time. I was relaxing in my room by myself when it suddenly popped up."

Dana motioned her inside. "You don't sound too excited about it."

"I'm not," Victoria stated simply as she stepped inside. "I was more shocked than anything. I already know what I want to do with my life, my career, my future. A soulmate is a complete unknown."

"Believe it or not, Chloe and I are kind of in the same boat," Rachel explained. "We're committed to each other and have no idea how having a soulmate is going to affect that."

"It isn't," Chloe stated quite firmly. "Period."

Victoria, to everyone's surprise, nodded in agreement. But before anyone could bring attention to it, there was the sound of scurrying feet down the hall, followed by a pounding on someone's door. Everyone blinked. Being closest to the exit, Victoria and Juliet both walked over and poked their heads out.

There, right outside of Victoria's room, stood Taylor and Courtney. Well, "stood" was probably inaccurate. Bounced up and down like overly excitable puppies on crack would be how Victoria would describe the pair. She very loudly cleared her throat, catching their attention. "Problem?"

"Victoria!" The two scrambled down the hall and nearly crashed into each other trying to stop at Rachel's door. "Looklooklooklook!!" And with Taylor's near-frantic sentence complete, the two thrust out their left arms towards Victoria, each bearing a soulmark. Courtney's looked like a dream catcher while Taylor's looked like stretched out diamond.

Victoria looked at the marks, up to their excited faces, turned to Juliet, glanced at the room's occupants, then shot a look towards the heavens at whatever god (or gods) that had thoroughly and completely shafted her weekend plans. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!"

* * *

It wasn't exactly a war council but it was damn close. All the girls had drifted over to the common room (Rachel's room was starting to get a little cramped) to discuss their brand new marks. Some, like Dana, Taylor, and Courtney, were as excited as can be. Others, like Victoria and Chloe, were less than thrilled. In fact, Rachel found it fascinating that the two normally combative girls were actually getting along, commiserating about their lack of joy over the recent revelation while enjoying a smoke (completely against the rules but neither particularly cared at the moment). Juliet was doing research while likely drafting a front page article for the Totem on her phone. Seriously, how fucked up was it that not one, not two, but **seven** girls got a soulmark at precisely the same time and exactly in the same place?

Rachel noticed movement right outside the doorway and turned her attention to it. Then smiled. "Kate! Come on in!"

Kate entered the common room, looking at bit overwhelmed. "I saw the sign someone posted on the bathroom door," she said as she turned over her left arm, revealing her soulmark. "So I wanted to find out what was happening?"

"You too? Ugh." Victoria flicked the ash from her cigarette out of the open window. "Is there anyone on this floor who _didn't_ get a soulmark last night?"

"Ignore her," Rachel said, giving Kate a brief hug. "She's less than excited about this."

"I'm just confused," Kate admitted as she let Rachel lead her into the room. "I mean, the sign said made it seem like everyone had one. I thought they were really rare?"

"Same," Rachel replied, sitting on a couch, tugging on Kate's arm so she joined her. "The sheer number of marks that have showed up last night is super weird. Not to mention we all have them in the same place. Eight different marks all in the same place all at the same time?" She shook her head. "If that's not a world record, I don't know what is."

"Here's a bit more info," Juliet stated, eyes still glued to her phone. Everyone fell silent and turned their attention to her, who continued. "There's an article dated way back to '89 that theorizes that it's proximity to your soulmate that triggers the generation of a mark, not an actual meeting. And there is apparently a delay between that proximity and the mark actually showing up. It references a couple of cases where people had a soulmark appear while travelling on vacation, then had to backtrack to find one another."

"How the hell did they manage that?" Chloe asked. "If they were travelling by plane, they could be thousands of miles apart by the time the marks showed up."

"Apparently, the marks can act as a kind of homing signal after a certain amount of distance increases between bearers," Juliet replied, eyes still scanning the article. "Even if the marks aren't reciprocated, soulmates will get vague impressions to the location of their other until one or the other passes away."

"And if they are?" Dana asked. "Reciprocated, I mean."

"Then, that sense of location strengthens and gets more and more detailed until eventually, you could find each other in a darkened maze, blindfolded, at night, while wearing a bucket over your head." Juliet snorted. "It actually says that. I guess the editor of the article was really bored."

Taylor shifted in her seat. "Okay, so, this means it may not have been someone we all met but just someone close by, like in class or maybe the cafeteria."

"Maybe," Courtney replied, her brow furrowed in thought. "But if that were the case, wouldn't the marks have shown up before today? Class has been going on for three weeks and there hasn't been any unusual visitors or transfer students that I'm aware of."

"Good point," Dana said, then turned when a couple more people entered the room. "Stella, Alyssa, come on in! I take it your the newest members of the Soul Club?" she asked, waving her left arm in the air.

Both girls glanced to each other, then raised their left arms, exposing the inside of their wrist to the room. And lo and behold, both were sporting marks.

Chloe blew out a puff of smoke out of the open window. "'Rare' my ass," she muttered aloud while Victoria snorted in agreement.

Stella blinked as most everyone else raised their left arms to show off their marks. "Seriously? ALL of us?"

"Yep!" Rachel showed off her mark with a wide grin. "Anyone want to bet that Brooke and Steph have one, too?"

"No bet," Alyssa said as she came into the room and plopped down onto the sofa opposite of Rachel. "Brooke found hers this morning and was last seen racing downstairs to see if Warren has a matching mark."

"You really think he's sporting one, too?"

"No," Taylor said with a shake of her head. "He's been hanging around Brooke a while now. If they were going to sport matching marks, it would've happened by now."

"But that's just it." Victoria jammed her cigarette in the general direction of the room. "Like Courtney just said, we've all been around each other for nearly a month now. If we were actually connected, these marks would have showed up the first day of class, not last night. That has to mean we're connected to different people."

"Not necessarily," Juliet stated, still reading. "Just got confirmation that soulmarks involving more than two people won't necessarily match but will show up in the same place on their bodies." She looked up and scanned the room. "Hate to say it but that's pretty good evidence we are connected to each other."

"But not guaranteed," Chloe pointed out, though she didn't sound convinced.

"No, not guaranteed. But at this point, the odds are so low that we're not I don't think even Steph could calculate it."

"Someone mention my name?"

Everyone turned to face Steph, who just showed up. "I didn't get here sooner because I was researching soulmates," she offered as explanation as she entered, then exchanged fist-bumps with Chloe.

"What's yours?" Victoria asked.

Steph turned her left wrist up and showed it to the smoking pair. "It's a twenty-sider. Detail's lacking but trust me, I know this shape by heart."

"I believe it, nerd," Chloe said with a smile.

Steph jammed a finger into Chloe's stomach, who flinched away with a grin. "Better watch it or your character's going to fall into another spike trap when we play again."

The sound of stomping caught everyone's attention. A moment later, Brooke stormed into the room, looking extremely put out. "He doesn't have one," she declared to the room at large.

Alyssa turned to Stella and slapped a $5 bill into her waiting hand. "Dammit."

"Always a pleasure."

"Shut it," Brooke stated as she leaned against one of the walls and crossed his arms over her chest. "Warren's already dumped me since I now have a soulmate and he doesn't want to interfere with fate or whatever. I tried arguing but he's pretty adamant." She scrubbed at her wrist with her other hand. "Stupid mark."

Victoria shook her head. "This is beyond unbelievable," she said with a shake of her head. "It's like we're a fucking harem here. This is the entire girls' floor!"

"Except Max."

Everyone turned to Kate, who shifted uncomfortably at the attention. "I just noticed she's not here."

"Huh." Juliet glanced around the room, as did several others. "You're right. I don't know how I missed that."

"No way she could've missed the sign," Dana stated.

"Yeah, she could've," Chloe said, crushing out her cigarette on the outside brick. "She's probably still asleep. She loves to sleep in on the weekends."

Victoria snorted. "All the beauty sleep in the world won't help that one."

Chloe's eyes narrowed at the insult. "Watch it or I'll knock your ass right out of this window."

Surprisingly, Victoria declined to trade barbs with Chloe and instead ran her free hand through her hair. "Fine, fine. I'm just fucking stressing out here. I figure even you can get that."

Chloe raised her eyebrow at the lack of confrontation but rolled with it. "Yeah, I do, which is why I'm letting you bum cigs offa me in the first place."

Steph pushed off the wall and stretched a bit. "Well, now that you two are done with your cancer sticks, why don't we pay Max a visit, see if she's sporting a mark?"

"But she's still sleeping," Kate pointed out. "I don't know if we should disturb her."

Rachel gave Kate's hand a squeeze, drawing her attention. "Normally, I'd be in firm agreement with you but twelve soulmarks all at once? I think this is important enough to wake her up a bit early."

Kate shifted again. "Still..."

"Then let's make this fair and vote on it," Dana stated. "All in favor of waking Max up now, raise your hands." She, along with most of the room, did so. "And all oppose?" Kate and Stella raised theirs.

"What can I say?" Stella said as she lowered her hand. "I like sleeping in, too."

"Well, majority rules." Brooke uncrossed her arms. "And I can't wait to solve this mystery."

The group made their way down the hall and in short order, found themselves outside of Max's room. Chloe placed herself in the front and gave the door a couple of sharp knocks. "Yo! Super Max! Wake up call!"

A long groan sounded from beyond the door, followed by some faint shifting. Everyone fell silent as they waited with anticipation for Max to open her door. A few moments later, she did. And there she was. Max Caulfield, in all of her sleepy glory, clad in her sleep shorts, her three chicks t-shirt, hair sticking out every which way, rubbing at her eyes with her right hand as her left held her door open.

"What's up, Chloe?" She blinked. "And everyone...?"

Everyone's eyes zeroed in on Max's left wrist.

And collectively deflated.

It was blank.

Max didn't have a soulmark.

They all looked to one another, blinking in confusion.

Now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all my regulars, I know this isn't chapter 42 of Worthy, but I hope you'll forgive me. This past month or so has been absolutely shit for my head and I haven't been able to write a damn thing until very recently, and this was the result. I really hope it didn't seem like a waste.


	2. Ace Reporter Juliet Is On the Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: this chapter is very Juliet-centric and also has a lot of texts. I hope this isn't a turnoff for everyone!

It was with great sadness that the twelve girls hovering outside of Max's door turned and walked away, a profound sense of disappointment filling their very souls...

(No, wait. That's another version of this tale. We're keeping it silly here. So...)

Max, who was rapidly blinking herself awake, noticed some strange marks on the left wrists of several of the girls in front of her. It took a moment, but with a sharp gasp, she realized what the marks were and finally woke up completely. "Are those...?"

"Yep!" Dana grinned broadly and thrust her arm out towards Max, letting her take a closer look. "Apparently, all of us got one last night at the same time. Wild, huh?"

"Wowsers…" Without thinking, Max reached forward and took Dana's wrist in her hand with her left hand, the gently touched the mark with the fingers of her right. "Does it hurt at all?"

"Not at all. In fact, it doesn't feel any different than normal, just there's a soulmark there now."

Max brushed the outline of the mark before its shape became apparent. She smiled as she looked up. "Pom poms?"

Dana shrugged. "I'm assuming that my soulmate either has a connection to cheerleading as well, or recognizes how important that is to me."

Juliet chose that moment to interrupt. "We were hoping you had a soulmark as well, since literally everyone else on this floor got one." She opted against telling the whole truth, that she (and likely a few others) was expecting Max to have ALL of their marks.

Max glanced at her blank wrist and shook her head. "Sorry, guys. Just plain old boring me."

"The fuck you say!" Chloe stepped forward, scooped Max up over her shoulder (the smaller girl yelped in surprise at this), and hauled her back inside her dorm room. "No one gets away with saying that about my best friend. Not even my best friend!" Chloe dropped Max right back on her bed and, without further ado, proceeded to attack her sides with a viscous tickle attack.

At Max's loud shriek, Rachel let out her own laugh, grabbed Kate's and Steph's arms, and dragged them inside Max's room to join in on the action. With the impromptu meeting adjourned, most everyone else drifted off to their own rooms, leaving the goofballs alone to play. Juliet, however, hovered around for several long moments, thinking.

Why was Max the odd girl out...?

* * *

**Me**  
I seriously think Max is involved, too.

**D**  
She didn't have a mark, tho. Everyone saw it.

**D**  
Or, didn't see it.

**D**  
You know what I mean!

**Me  
**XD

**Me**  
I'm actually thinking statistics here. 12 of 13 girls have marks. Why was she left out?

**D**  
Considering how weird it is that 12 people suddenly received the ultra-rare soulmarks all at once and all in the same place, I'm inclined to agree.

**D**  
So, what's the plan?

**Me**  
Simple: I'm going to experiment.

**D**  
Oh god...

**Me**  
What?

**D**  
I know how you can get when you start "experimenting."

**Me**  
I know you want answers as much as I do. Trust me, this will work.

**D**  
Just go easy on her. I doubt Max can take your level of invasiveness.

**Me**  
I object to the term "invasive."

**D**  
Shall I list you the names of the people who wouldn't?

**Me**  
I'd rather you not.

* * *

No matter how crazy the world seemed to get at times, Sunday always followed Saturday. For Max, that meant catching up on homework that she procrastinated yesterday, doing laundry, eating food, getting roped into Steph's Pathfinder game, and wandering outside looking for photo ops. Though not necessarily in that order.

At the moment, Max was between tasks and meals, so opted to play some guitar. Her door was open as well as a window, and the occasional breeze would fill the room with fresh air. She sat on her love seat, strumming along to the radio that was softly playing indie tunes. It was a beautifully peaceful day.

"Hey, Max!"

The brunette in question started at the friendly voice. Turning, she saw Juliet hovering just inside her door, and gave her a smile. "Hey, there. What's up?"

"Nothing much," Juliet stated as she walked further inside. "I was just in the area and heard you playing, so I figured I'd check in on you."

Max blinked. "Um, okay?" She set her guitar aside. "This is the first time you've ever stopped in."

"An error in judgment I'm looking to correct," Juliet stated, then sat on Max's left side. "Plus, I kinda need your help on something."

"What's that?"

"Just this." And, quick as a whip, Juliet gripped Max's left arm, whipped out a black magic marker, and quickly drew a large X on Max's wrist.

"Hey!" Max jerked her hand back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"No!" Juliet reached out and tried pulling on Max's hand. "Don't hide your wrist! I need to see!"

Max, having no idea what had gotten into Juliet, tucked her wrist against her chest and held on tight. Not to be denied, Juliet reached out with both hands and tried pulling.

"Go away!"

"Not until I see!"

"Let go!"

"No!"

Fighting against Juliet's grip, Max fell backwards onto the love seat. Juliet immediately straddled her, reached down with both hands, and started tugging.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing! I just want to see!"

"See what??"

"Your wrist!!"

"So you can scribble on it more?!"

"NO!"

"AHEM!"

Both girls paused in their impromptu wrestling match to glance towards the door, where Dana stood, arms crossed over her chest, looking decidedly displeased.

She cocked her eyebrow at Juliet. "This is your idea of going easy on Max?"

"Um..." Juliet glanced down at Max, then back up to Dana. "Yes...?"

Dana shook her head. "For God's sake, Jules. It's a good thing it's me that found you and not someone else. Do you even realize what it looks like you're doing to Max from my angle?"

That made Juliet stop and really look at her position atop Max. How she was straddling her hips, skirt flared out. Gripping Max's wrists, trying to pull them away from her chest. How Max's shirt had ridden up partway up her stomach.

Juliet turned bright fucking red and immediately shot off of the poor girl. "Oh, my God, I am so fucking sorry!"

Max, who had turned red from the revelation as well, sat up and began straightening her clothing. "It's okay..."

"No, it isn't," Juliet protested. She shook her head and dropped to her knees in front of Max. "Seriously, I'm so sorry. I got so focused on my experiment and wasn't thinking straight."

"And just what was your experiment, anyway?" Max turned over her left wrist. "Besides abstract art, I mean."

Dana stepped forward and reached a hand towards Juliet. "Marker?"

"Yeah, okay. Here."

"Thanks." Dana took the marker, uncapped it, and sat next to Max. "Check this out." She proceeded to use the marker to blot out her soulmark, then waited. To Max's amazement, the marker stain that was covering the soulmark rapidly faded and disappeared, revealing the pom poms once again.

Dana recapped the marker. "You can't cover up soulmarks, not with ink, not with tattoos, not with make up. Juliet thought that it was impossible that you didn't have a soulmark as well, so was trying to see if you actually did, just that it was invisible to the naked eye or something." She fixed Juliet with a glare. "And she was supposed to go easy on you and ask permission, not seemingly sexually assault you."

The investigative reporter had the good graces to look embarrassed. "I really am sorry." She peeked up at Max through her bangs, looking very contrite. "Forgive me?"

Max huffed out a quiet breath, then reached a hand towards Dana. "Marker, please?" When Dana gave it to her, Max uncapped it, then reached out with her hand towards Juliet's right. "Wrist?"

Knowing what was coming, Juliet sighed and reached forward with her arm, then watched as Max drew an obnoxiously large X over her right wrist.

"There!" Max capped the marker with a triumphant grin and handed it back to Juliet. "Now I forgive you."

Dana giggled. "Nice one, Max."

"Well, when you're friends with Chloe, you figure out pretty quick that reciprocation is the best way to prevent further occurrences." Max turned back to Juliet. "Next time, just ask. I'll be happy to help out, you know that."

"I will." Juliet stood, as did the others. "That'll teach me to use permanent marker," she mumbled to herself, rubbing at her wrist.

Dana reached out and tugged on Juliet's sleeve. "C'mon, Jules. Let's head out. See you around, Max."

"Take care, you two."

* * *

**Queen Bee**  
I heard about your experiment. Nice going, dumbass.

**Me**  
Hey, it was a legit test!

**Queen Bee**  
And when, in the history of soulmarks, has there ever been an invisible one?

**Me**  
And when, in the history of soulmarks, has there ever been 12 SHOWING UP ALL AT ONCE?

**Queen Bee**  
...point taken.

**Me**  
Look, I'm just convinced Max is involved. It was a super-long shot, sure, but I'm willing to try anything to find out the truth.

**Queen Bee**  
Anything?

**Me**  
Okay, almost anything. I've learned my lesson, thank you very much.

**Queen Bee**  
That's what I figured.

**Me**  
Any ideas?

**Queen Bee**  
You're actually asking me?

**Me**  
Why not? It's not like you're not involved. You have a mark, too. And I figure you'd want answers as much as any of us.

**Queen Bee**  
True. Give me a minute.

**Queen Bee**  
I got it.

**Queen Bee**  
Sleep with her.

**Me**  
Excuse me?!

**Queen Bee**  
Soulmates are supposed to be connected on an emotional level, right? Can't get more emotional than an orgasm. So, bang her.

**Queen Bee**  
Hello?

**Queen Bee**  
You're not seriously considering this.

**Me**  
No! And I had to step away for a sec.

**Me**  
But you have given me a great idea.

**Queen Bee**  
Oh? Details, then.

**Me**  
Can't tell you. That'll contaminate the experiment.

**Queen Bee**  
Fine. I'm certain I'll hear about it when this one blows up in your face as well.

**Me**  
Thanks for the vote of confidence.

* * *

Sunday rolled to Monday, which meant classes, lunch, followed by more classes. Just another typical day, except there was one and only one topic on the rumor mill: twelve soulmarks. Word had spread like wildfire, especially when the proof was clearly visible for all to see, and at every opportunity, each of the twelve girls would find themselves inundated by rabidly curious friends, classmates, and even some teachers, looking at the soulmarks, asking questions, and occasionally squealing in excitement.

Max was largely left alone. Once she showed off her blank wrist, any potential crowds dispersed to seek out those that held marks. Which was fine by her. An introvert through and through, she didn't really care for being surrounded by strangers who couldn't keep their hands to themselves. She shuddered at the thought. It was enough to give her the willies.

At the moment, she was outside, seated at one of the numerous picnic tables that dotted the campus, along with Alyssa and Stella. Alyssa was reading a paperback, Stella was surfing the 'Net on her phone, and Max was looking through some photos she had taken for Photography. The three were killing time, waiting for Kate to finish up with the guidance counselor in the main building before they all went on their tea date in town.

"Hey, Max!"

With a slight sensation of _déjà vu_, Max turned to see Juliet walking over to her spot, some kind of covered box hanging from her right hand. She smiled. "Please don't tell me that's a huge collection of markers."

Juliet smiled when Stella and Alyssa chuckled. "No way. No markers, no ink, no paint. Promise." She came to a stop next Max and placed the whatever-it-was on the table top. "But, because I haven't given up on uncovering the truth, I have a surprise for you." She motioned towards the box. "May I?"

Uncertain where Juliet was going with this but glad to know she was actually asking permission, Max nodded. "Sure."

Nodding, Juliet gripped the cloth that was covering the box. "_Voilà_!" And with that, she yanked the cloth off the box, revealing a rather large tarantula inside. She kept her eyes glued to Max while waiting for a reciprocating spike of fear to hit. Any second now.

Any second...

now...?

Against all odds (though, truthfully, Juliet wasn't sure of the exact odds), Max didn't freak. Instead, her eyes went wide with wonder. "Oh wow! I haven't seen one this big before!" She immediately reached for her camera and started working the angles. "Thanks, Juliet!"

The ace reporter blinked. This wasn't going to plan at all. "Um, you're welcome?" She cleared her throat. "So, spiders don't freak you out?"

"Nope." Max snapped a photo, then turned to Juliet. "I'm fine with all the traditional creepy crawlers: spiders, bugs, snakes, mice, all that stuff." She grinned. "Of course, with as often as Chloe and I went exploring in the woods around here when we were kids, you kind of had to be used to all that."

"Huh." Juliet leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, dammit."

That made Max blink. "I take it you were hoping for a different reaction?"

Juliet nodded. "Yeah. I read that soulmates can sometimes get sensations from their other and was hoping scaring the crap out you would do the trick." She purposely didn't mention Victoria's idea.

Max nodded. "That actually makes sense. Sorry it didn't work out, though."

"Eh, not your fault. And it's not like I could ask you in advance. Otherwise, you'd be ready for it."

"True." She turned to her two friends. "What do you... think...?"

Across the table, where Alyssa and Stella once sat, there was now just a whole lot of air. Max blinked, and she and Juliet started looking around to see where their wayward friends had disappeared. A few seconds later, they spotted the pair, huddled around the far corner of the Prescott dorm, peeking at them.

"Guys?" Max waved to the two of them over. "Come on back, it's okay."

"Not until you get that fucking abomination the hell out of there!" yelled Stella, as Alyssa nodded in agreement.

"Huh. I guess they don't like spiders," Max stated.

"I suppose not," was Juliet's reply.

"Would their reactions count for your experiment?"

Juliet blinked. "Actually, it might. Are you by any change feeling any of their fear? Any vague sense of unease that you'd normally not feel, considering you're not afraid of spiders?"

Max closed her eyes, concentrated a bit, then shook her head. "Nope," she replied, opening her eyes. "I feel perfectly fine."

"Double dammit." Juliet reached over, and draped the cloth back over the Plexiglas cage, then picked it up by the handle. "I better return this to the Biology lab, then. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Sure thing. But, you may have to apologize to Stella and Alyssa later."

"I will."

* * *

**Hot Stuff**  
You are aware that emotional bond you're thinking of takes time to form, and we've only had our marks since Saturday?

**Me**  
I am NOW.

**Hot Stuff**  
And that it's at its most potent after the marks are reciprocated, not before?

**Me**  
Fine, fine!

**Hot Stuff**  
Hey, I'm not mad, just pointing out what I figured would be obvious.

**Hot Stuff**  
On the plus side, I would've loved to have seen Alyssa and Stella's faces. I'm sure they were hilarious.

**Me  
**I'm sure they were. Sadly, I was too focused on Max to notice.

**Me**  
I think I'm just too eager and not planning these things out as well as I should.

**Me**  
At least I didn't try Victoria's idea.

**Hot Stuff**  
Which was?

**Me**  
Sex.

**Hot Stuff**  
XD XD XD XD XD!!!!!!!

**Hot Stuff**  
OMG! I'm dying here!

**Me**  
I know, right? Not that I'm completely against the idea but that's a bit much for an experiment.

**Hot Stuff**  
What? Seriously?

**Me**  
What? You know I'm bi.

**Hot Stuff**  
Oh, I know. Didn't think Max was your type, that's all. No offense to Max, I think she's fucking adorable, too, but she's way different from D and Vicky.

**Me**  
Tell me about it. Just keep that little tidbit to yourself, okay?

**Hot Stuff**  
Chloe's reading over my shoulder.

**Me**  
Between yourselves, then? I seriously don't want to scare her off.

**Hot Stuff**  
You got it.

**Hot Stuff**  
So, what now?

**Me**  
Not sure. I'm still thinking of other ideas.

**Hot Stuff**  
Have you considered that Max really might not be connected to us at all?

**Me**  
Not seriously but even I'm starting to have my doubts. I just hope to God it's not someone from the boys' dorm.

**Hot Stuff**  
Oh, you and me both. And everyone else, I'm sure.

**Me**  
Can you imagine if Trevor was our soulmate?

**Hot Stuff**  
Or Logan!

**Me**  
Ooo, or how about Evans?

**Hot Stuff**  
Hah! That'd be something, all right.

**Hot Stuff**  
Oh shit. Chloe just said what if it's Principal Wells.

**Me**  
I just barfed in my mouth a little.

**Hot Stuff**  
Same.

* * *

It took a couple of days for Juliet to come up with another plan of attack. In that time, Blackwell was inundated with reporters, journalists, researchers, and paparazzi, all hoping for a piece of the hottest scoop of the decade: 12 simultaneous soulmates. Principal Wells was kept incredibly busy as he and his legal team juggled all the phone calls, e-mails, letters, and visits, doing his damnedest to paint Blackwell, and himself, in the most positive light possible.

District Attorney James Amber stepped in to assist with the proceedings as much as he was able, as did Sean Prescott. The former sought to protect his daughter from the potential leeches and sharks that would be more than happy to tear down the teenager while squeezing as much out of her as possible and, at Rachel's insistence, extended that same protection to the other soulmark bearers who needed it. The latter simply sought to promote his own name in an effort to boost outside interest in his various holdings around Arcadia Bay. As expected, only James' contributions were regarded with a sense of gratitude by the student population, though Principal Wells gladly mentioned Sean's name several times to anyone who would listen.

Wednesday afternoon found Max wandering back to the dorms after class, alone. Which was fine by her. A lot of her friends (all of them, in fact) were giving statements to various reporters under the direction of DA Amber's legal team (except for Victoria, who had her own legal counsel). Max, though, was able to skip all of that. As word spread that she didn't have a soulmark, she was largely ignored by all the reporters who sought juicier targets, and was able to walk around without fear of getting stopped.

"Hey, Max?"

The girl in question stopped and turned, seeing Juliet approach. Unlike earlier, she appeared a bit worn out. "Hey, Juliet. You okay?"

"Sorta?" Juliet stopped next to Max and sighed. "Actually, no. Not really. Kinda tired of all the attention I've been getting. They just don't know when to quit, do they?"

"I suppose not," Max said with a small shake of her head. "But then again, this is what you'll want to do in the future, right? Be an investigative journalist, get to the bottom of the story? Maybe getting this exposure will help in the long run."

"Ugh." Juliet shook her head. "When you say it like that, it really makes me reconsider my life choices."

"Oh. Um, sorry?"

Juliet sighed. "No, that's not a bad thing. More like a reality check thing. And it really highlights how stupid I was to you on Sunday, harassing you like that. I'm super fucking sorry."

"Water under the bridge," Max replied, reaching out and giving Juliet's hand a soft squeeze. "I forgave you. And, unlike some of the vultures circling campus, I know you didn't mean any harm."

Max's words brought a small smile to Juliet's face, and she squeezed Max's hand back. "Thank--"

"Excuse me? Miss?"

Juliet's smile crumbled away. "Shit, not again," she whispered.

Max caught the low mutter, though, saw how Juliet's face fell, and felt irritation boil up. She looked past Juliet towards the approaching reporter, picking up a dozen minute details from the man, all of which painted a rather shitty picture. Acting on some unknown impulse, Max whipped out her camera, lined up a shot, and snapped a photo.

The flash and whir of the archaic camera caught the reporter off guard and he stopped in his tracks. "What are you doing?"

"I suggest you back off and give my friend space," Max stated firmly as she put her camera and photo in her messenger bag. "Otherwise, I'll hand this photo over to security and the district attorney's legal team and make sure you're not just kicked off of campus but your entire organization is barred from ever approaching within 100 feet of Blackwell again." Then, without waiting for a reply, Max turned, tucked her hand around Juliet's elbow, and walked away.

It took nearly a full minute for Juliet to pick her jaw up from the floor. "Holy shit, Max. That was badass!"

Max blinked. "You think so?"

"I know so!" Juliet shook her head. "Please don't take this the wrong way but that really wasn't like you at all."

"Yeah, I know." Max sighed and all the fierceness she displayed earlier faded. "Honestly, it's been something that's been building for the last day or so, after I noticed how intimidated Kate seemed when the reporters weren't giving her the space she needed. Or how irritated Steph was getting when she was blindsided on her way to Theater. Even Rachel, who wants to be a model and live her life in front of the camera, was getting annoyed by all the attention." She shrugged. "I guess it finally exploded."

Juliet absorbed Max's words and wondered if this was a bleed-over effect from all of her soulmates (specifically, their collective frustration at all the attention), or if this was just a protective side of Max she'd never seen before because such a situation had never come up in the past. But whichever it was, there was only one thing Juliet could say in response. "Thank you."

Max glanced over. "Hmm?"

"For looking out for me," Juliet clarified. "I know I've been a bit relentless trying to uncover the mystery of all of our marks and how you might fit into it. Which I still think you do, by the way. But despite that, you're still here for me."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Max slowed them to a stop. "You're my friend and friends watch out for each other. And relentless as you may be, you apologized when you messed up and never repeated that mistake, which is a far cry from what all those so-called journalists have been doing. Seriously, aren't they supposed to be the adults around here?"

Juliet laughed at that. "You're so right." She couldn't help herself: she pulled Max into a warm hug. "You're the best."

Max melted right into the embrace with a bright smile. "I really don't think I am, but I'm here for you."

"Found you!"

The two turned and saw Steph and Chloe approaching them. And it was only then that they realized they had wandered a couple of blocks away from Blackwell. "Whatcha two doing out here?" Chloe asked.

"Things were just getting a bit too much and I had to step away," was Juliet's reply as she and Max turned to the approaching pair. "And Max was awesome and kept me company."

"Totally get that," Steph said with a nod. "Which is why Victoria's come up with an excellent plan for dinner."

"What's that?" asked Max.

"Pizza party in the girls' dorm." Chloe pointed back to Blackwell with her thumb. "Some of the interviews are going to carry past dinner and none of us want to be harassed at whatever restaurants off campus, so instead, she's buying grub for everyone, so we can stay hidden in the dorm if we want."

"That's…" Juliet blinked. "Damn. That's pretty smart. And unexpectedly considerate?"

"Tell me about it," Chloe replied. "But when I ran into her earlier, she explained that she noticed Taylor and Courtney were started to get frazzled and wanted to do something for them. And when I mentioned off-hand that most everyone else was probably just as bad off, she had her brainstorm."

"That's really sweet of her," Max said with a smile. "We'll have to thank her for it, maybe do something nice for her, too."

Steph grinned. "And what, precisely, would you actually do for her?"

Max blinked, then shook her head. "I have no idea."

"Well, why don't we think of some ideas while we head back to campus?" Juliet suggested. "I know I wouldn't mind some down time, too."

As the four headed back to Blackwell, chatting about their various interviews and some of the stupider questions they were asked, Juliet, relieved to be around friends and still incredibly thankful for Max's presence, forgot all about her planned experiment: to grab Max and take her for a long car ride, to see if the soulmark's location thing would kick in for the others. It also didn't occur to her to ask Steph and Chloe how they knew where to look to find herself and Max. She might've been surprised at their answer, otherwise.

* * *

**Queen Bee**  
Anything?

**Me**  
I got nothing

**D**  
Seriously? Nothing?

**Me**  
Yeah. I mean, I missed my opportunity Wednesday for the distance experiment.

**Hot Stuff**  
Why didn't you try yesterday? That's actually a really good idea.

**Me**  
I didn't want to run the risk of being tailed by relentless paparazzi, not until this dies down a bit more. And I don't want them to find my typical off-campus hangout spots, either.

**Hot Stuff**  
I can totally understand that.

**Dungeon Mistress**  
Any idea when that might be? This dying down?

**Me**  
Maybe another week for the "typical" media and newspapers. Maybe two for the scientist types.

**Bunny Cutie**  
And what about if our other is discovered?

**Me**  
Then we can expect a huge flare up in interest and even more interviews.

**Fly Girl**  
In that case, I hope it never happens.

**Blue**  
U hate Max that much?

**Fly Girl**  
That's not it at all! And I don't hate Max. I never did. I just hated that Warren was paying so much attention to her when he was supposed to be dating me.

**Freak in the Sheets**  
He was a pig. Bound to cheat on you. Honestly, I think you're better off without him.

**Team Jacob**  
Maybe not a pig but definitely immature. But aren't they all?

**Mountain Star**  
Do you still think that Max is involved? Despite her not having a mark?

**Me**  
I do. But I'm also well aware how each of my tests have completely failed to prove anything. It's enough to throw a lot of doubt into my belief.

**Hot Stuff**  
No need to give up all hope, though. I think you're onto something here, too. But except for the distance thing, I'm not sure how else to test it, either.

**Shower Singer**  
What about looking for her soulmark? If she really is connected to us, she has to have one.

**Freak in the Sheets**  
Her wrist was blank, though. We all saw it.

**D**  
Or didn't see it. ;-)

**Blue**  
NO EMOJI!

**Shower Singer**  
Well, there's no absolute guarantee it's on her wrist. Technically, it could be anywhere.

**Dungeon Mistress**  
But we all saw her Saturday. Arms and legs were blank.

**Hot Stuff**  
Not to mention we would've seen it when we were tickling her.

**Shower Singer**  
True, but you didn't see EVERYwhere, right?

**Freak in the Sheets**  
OH.

**Queen Bee**  
I'm fucking disgusted with myself that I didn't think of that sooner.

**Me**  
Dammit! Me neither. I was too caught up on her wrist I didn't even think of it.

**Mountain Star**  
Okay, well, how do you suppose we check?

**Fly Girl**  
Well, she does shower every morning...

**Bunny Cutie**  
Absolutely not. Were not violating Max's trust like that.

**Fly Girl**  
But it'll work!

**Bunny Cutie**  
NO. And if you try, I'm never speaking to you again for as long as you live.

**Blue**  
damn girl!

**D**  
Okay, everyone calm down. We're all friends here and we all want to know the truth. But not like that. Right, Brooke?

**Fly Girl**  
Yeah. Sorry Kate.

**Cutie Bunny**  
Apology accepted. And besides, I'm certain that Max would be willing to have you check, if only you asked. She's really nice that way.

**Me**  
Believe me, asking is DEFINITELY the way to go.

**Queen Bee**  
That X hasn't gone away yet, has it.

**Me**  
No. Dammit.

**Blue**  
HAH!

**Hot Stuff**  
LOL

**Dungeon Mistress**  
Well, why don't we all go ask her now?

**Team Jacob**  
...because it's 4 minutes before class and we're almost late?

**Me**  
SHIT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if anyone noticed but I increased the max chapter count of this work from two to three. The reason: as I was writing this chapter, I kept having more and more fun with it until it got to its current length. And once it reached that length, I decided that having a conclusion here would be a bit unwieldy, so I opted to make a chapter 3 to house it.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing the conversations, the texts, the scenarios, all of it. I also hope you found this chapter at least a bit amusing! I even had another test that was going to fail miserably for Juliet but I'm going to hold that aside for now as I might use it for something else later.
> 
> I mentioned this in the comments of chapter 1 but when I first started writing this chapter, it went super serious. I actually had to stop everything and start the whole thing over again to keep things light. However, I haven't discarded the serious version and might actually post it as a separate work, kind of like a "what if" sort of deal.
> 
> Just a little longer until the reveal and the answer to the question asked at the end of chapter 1: now what?


	3. Revelation

Max found it difficult to concentrate in AP English and not because Kate was nearly tardy for class (which was a first for her, and did distract Max a bit at the beginning) but rather because, for some reason, she feeling a bit… antsy? It was weird. She wasn't normally this restless, though thankfully, she wasn't bouncing off the walls or anything. It just felt like she was anticipating… something. Maybe her weekend trip? She did make plans to head to the Portland area with Kate, Stella, and Alyssa to visit the World Forestry Center for their next Photography assignment, and it would be the first time all four of them went out of town to hang out together. Plus, road trip! A short one but a road trip nonetheless. She had been looking forward to it since their plans were made on Monday.

Hmm. Yeah, that made sense. The more Max thought about it, the more she was convinced that had to be it. So, one mystery solved. Sadly, that still left her feeling like she had energy to burn. Fortunately for her, PE was her next class, so with a little bit of luck, she'd be able to work it off with whatever activity was lined up today.

When the bell rang, she gave Kate a short hug along with a promise to eat lunch with her, then made her way out of the main building and to the gymnasium. Once in the girl's locker room, she stripped from her hoodie and jeans, then donned her workout shorts. She was lacing up her spare running shoes when Victoria called out to her.

"Not changing shirts?"

Turning her head a bit, she saw Victoria facing her own locker, stripping out of her blouse. "I usually don't bother," she replied. "I have a spare to change into after class, though, if we do anything too sweaty."

"Hmm. Makes sense, I suppose." Victoria then reached behind her back and unclipped her bra. "But you're not actually going to work out in your regular bra, at least, right? It might not be suited for even light activity."

A little surprised that Victoria sounded like she genuinely cared, Max answered, "That's true. So, what I typically do on Fridays is wear my sports bra to start the day and, if we do anything really heavy or strenuous, I'll change out of it along with my shirt." She finished lacing up her sneaker and stood. "I have a spare bra, too."

"Smart," Victoria said with a short nod. "I might have to start doing the same thing. It'll definitely save some time." She tugged into her own sports bra, the gave Max a small smile. "I wouldn't have thought it possible for you to plan so far ahead."

It was a barb, yes, but a really small one, and delivered warmly enough that Max didn't feel insulted in the least. In fact, it felt like light teasing, like what Chloe or Rachel might do. "Even I can have my moments, right?" she said with a short shrug and a smile of her own.

Victoria gave out a light laugh as she pulled a workout shirt over her head. "I suppose so. Just don't make a habit of it."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

The two joined the rest of class and, a minute later, started on the coach-led calisthenics. The entire time, though, Max wondered about Victoria and her unusual (for her) behavior. Why was she being so nice?

It either would have been incredibly amusing or highly frightening to Max to know that, at that exact moment, Victoria was thinking the same thing. What had gotten into her?

* * *

Nearly 40 minutes later and class was dismissed, giving all the students in class time to hit the locker room and change back into their clothes, maybe hit a quick shower if needed. And several were definitely going to. Coach had opted against teaching anything new and simply had the class run laps on the football field instead of the track that ran around it. No one knew the exact reason for this but the presence of a few photographers in the stands with telescopic lenses gave a potential answer. Unfortunately for them, this possibility had apparently been anticipated and before the class had even settled onto the field, security was already forcibly removing the photographers from the vicinity. Max shot a knowing smirk to Victoria, which was returned.

Victoria, who was hoping to get a surreptitious glance at Max's back when the brunette changed, had been delayed slightly getting to the locker room, and so just missed Max slipping into her spare t-shirt. Mentally cursing her luck, she went to her own locker and grabbed her stuff, ignoring the random girl who hurried in, popped open the locker next to Max, grabbed her stuff, then dashed away. Unlike most of the other students, Victoria had access to the dorm, meaning she'd be able to shower in relative peace there instead of using the communal showers here in the gymnasium.

She turned and was about to say farewell to Max when the brunette in question hunched forward to put her running shoes away, making her shirt ride up on her back just enough to reveal... something? Victoria's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't be absolutely certain but there might have been something there.

Maybe?

Without thinking about the potential consequences, Victoria set her bag down, pulled out her phone, turned on her camera, then cleared her throat. "Caulfield."

Max made an inquisitive noise as she shut her locker door. "What's up?" She turned to face Victoria and froze. The blonde was pointing her phone at Max. Obviously to snap an embarrassing photo of her. That was why she was being so nice before! Max let out an alarmed squeak and blindly reached behind her. She opened her locker door, quickly ducked inside, and slammed the door shut. "Victoria! What the hell?!"

Victoria was caught completely off-guard by Max's behavior. "What the-- Come out of there!"

"No! Not until you put that camera away!" came the slightly echo-y reply.

"I--" Victoria finally registered what she probably looked like to Max and lowered her phone. "Dammit, I'm not trying to take any embarrassing photos of you! Or lewd ones!"

"I don't believe you."

"Okay, okay," Victoria stated, then quickly shoved her phone back in her bag. "There. It's put away. So can you please come out of there now?"

"And how can I know you've actually done it?"

"By… coming out and seeing for yourself?"

"…"

After the long pause, Victoria sighed. It stung just a bit to know that Max didn't trust her. So, she tried something completely different: pure honesty. "Max. Please. I'm sorry I freaked you out. I thought I saw something on your back and wanted to take a picture to show the others. But not until you gave me the okay."

"You mean like what Juliet's been looking for?"

"Precisely. I know I haven't given you any reason to trust me but I swear on my Michael Kors handbag I wasn't going to snap a photo without your permission. I heard about what happened with Juliet, after all, and I don't want a repeat of that."

"...Michael Kors? _That's_ what the MK stands for?"

Victoria blinked at the unexpected question. "Yes? What else could it stand for?"

"Um, _Mortal Kombat_?"

"I-- That's--" Max's reply was so incongruous that it took Victoria several seconds to parse a reply. "Why the hell would you think that?!"

"I don't know! It's the only remotely famous thing I've ever seen that has those initials!"

"You seriously think I'd be carrying a $350 handbag about a fucking video game?"

"Your Agent Bluberry figurine isn't exactly cheap, you know."

Victoria flushed red. "Mother--" She sucked in a deep breath through her nose, held it, then let it out, calming herself down. "Fine. Whatever. But do you think we could at least continue our conversation face to face?"

"Yeah, okay." The locker rattled once, twice, then stopped. "Um, Victoria?"

"Oh my fucking God." Victoria closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can feel a migraine coming on. Are you seriously stuck in there now?"

"...would it help if I said no?"

"No!"

"Okay, okay! Can you at least get me out, then?"

"Fine." Victoria stepped forward. "What's your combination?"

"Promise you won't use it later?"

"Like I want to steal your dirty socks and sneakers."

"Fair enough. 12 right, 13 left, 12 right."

"Huh." Victoria started spinning the built-in dial on the locker door. "Stupidly easy to remember."

"Yeah, I lucked out with it."

Victoria finished with the last number. "Got it." She pulled the handle. And the door failed to open.

"What the…?" She quickly tried the combo again. "Are you sure you gave me the right combination?"

"Yes. Are you sure you put it in right?"

The door rattled ineffectually a second time. "Absolutely." That's when Victoria noticed something that made her heart sink. "Oh fuck…"

"What?"

Victoria cleared her throat. "What's your locker number again?"

"Um, 76. Why?"

"Because you're in 75."

There was a pregnant pause at that, followed by a loud thump from the application of Max's head against the inner locker wall. "Dammit…"

* * *

It was both a good thing and a bad thing that lunch followed PE. Good, because at least Max wasn't missing class. Bad, because both coaches apparently vanished into thin air and couldn't be located. What was especially frustrating was Samuel couldn't be found, either. At least, according to Taylor and Courtney.

"Word is, he got pulled into a meeting with Principal Wells, both coaches, security, and a bunch of lawyers," Taylor stated, between bites of her sandwich. "I think someone's in trouble. Like, majorly."

"That doesn't surprise me," Victoria said, hair slightly damp from her quick shower, "considering security escorted a couple of photographers from the rafters around the football field." She snorted. "Wouldn't surprise me if those photographers greased the coach's palms so they could snap photos of us outside the approved times and locations."

"Man, how stupid could they be?" Courtney asked as she shook her head. "Do they really think they wouldn't be caught?"

"Money makes even the most wise man foolish," Kate stated, as she slipped another Dorito chip through the slats of the nearby locker door.

"Thanks," the locker stated in Max's voice as the chip vanished inside. "Is that from the Bible?"

Kate smiled at that. "No, just me. And you're welcome."

Victoria snorted softly. "You don't have to thank her for each individual chip, you know."

"I don't want to seem unappreciative," Max protested. "I mean, I know it's my own fault for getting locked in here. And all of you are being really nice by keeping me company when you could just abandon me to my fate to each lunch somewhere with fresh air."

"We wouldn't do that to you," Taylor said with a shake of her head.

"Yes, you would," Max deadpanned.

The three Vortexers glanced at each other, then to Kate who was nodding slightly. "Okay, we would," Victoria conceded. "But not now, especially since I'm partially to blame for this. If I hadn't taken my phone out and given you the wrong impression, you wouldn't have freaked out and tried to hide in the first place." She took a sip from her water bottle. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about that."

Victoria's admission and apology was surprising to hear, but filled Max with a sense of warmth. "Thank you. And I'll forgive you just as soon as I get out of here."

Everyone snickered at that, then turned when Chloe and Steph rounded the corner.

"I can't wait to hear the details of this little disaster," Steph said with a grin.

"Later," Victoria replied simply. "You have any ideas how to get her out?"

"A couple," Chloe stated as she motioned Kate aside, then stepped up to the locker that held Max. "You holding up in there, Max Mistake?"

"As well as can be expected," was Max's reply. "Help me, Chloe-wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."

Steph burst out laughing as everyone else giggled. "You're such a nerd," she stated with a soft smile.

"Takes one to know one!"

"She's got you there," Chloe said, then turned back to the locker. "Now, which one of these is your actual locker?"

"The one next to me, 76."

"Perfect. This is going to be a lot easier than I thought. What's your combo?"

"12, 13, 12."

"Got it." Chloe quickly spun the dial and popped Max's locker open. "Okay, Max, I need you to pretend you're She-Hulk and push as hard as you can against the locker wall." Chloe gripped the handle to locker 75. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

Max shoved, Chloe pulled, and a moment later, the door flew wide open. In short order, Chloe was helping Max out, then wrapping her in a hug. "How the hell did you manage to get stuck in the first place?"

"By over-reacting," Max replied, then stepped back. "But you have to tell me: how did that work?"

Chloe smirked and pointed to the latch on the open door. "These lockers are cheap as fuck. The only thing keeping them closed is a short bar that slides into a groove. If you can bulge out the edges of the locker a bit, you'll push the bar out of the groove, letting the door open right up." She pointed towards Max's locker. "Opening your door gave us the slack we needed to do that."

Victoria raised her eyebrow, impressed despite herself. "You have a lot of experience breaking into lockers?"

"Yup!" Chloe grinned, completely unapologetic. "How else and I supposed to bum cigarettes off of you? Virginia Slims suck, by the way."

"Better than your fucking Marlboros," Victoria shot back.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Everyone jumped as one of the coaches barged around the corner, looking furious. "Class was over an hour ago! And third period's about to start!" She jammed a finger towards the door. "Everyone out!"

The girls needed no further prompting and scrambled to leave as fast as possible. Except for Victoria, who took her time gathering her things. She slowed as she passed the coach and asked, "So, was the bribe worth it?"

A vein bulged in the coach's neck as she pointed again. "Get. Out."

Victoria shot the coach a knowing smirk and left for class.

* * *

**Me  
** You have class with Max 4th period, right?

**Ward  
** Yes, Cultural Anthropology. Why?

**Me  
** After class, grab Max and head straight to the dorms. It's important.

**Ward  
** I have an interview after class, though.

**Me  
** You can't get out of it?

**Ward  
** I really don't think I can. Plus, it's with the science types and not the paparazzi, and I actually like those guys.

**Me  
** Hmm. I do, too. Dammit.

**Me  
** In that case, tell Max to hide out in her room after class and wait for us. Use whatever excuse you can but make sure she doesn't leave Blackwell.

**Me**  
And if you can, tell as many of us as possible. I don't have everyone's number.

**Ward  
** You got it.

**Ward  
** Wait. Waitwaitwait.

**Ward  
** Is this about our soulmarks? And is Max connected? For real??

**Me  
** I thought I saw something on Max's back in PE but I wasn't able to get a good look before drama happened. And I wasn't able to check before 3rd period.

**Ward  
** !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Me  
** I THOUGHT I saw something. So don't get too excited. But, in case something is there, I'd rather everyone be there to witness it and not just one or two of us.

**Ward  
** OMGOMGOMG

**Ward**  
safksdalkasdflksadfkl;asdf  


**Ward**  
Okay, out of my system. I'll let everyone know ASAP.

**Me  
** And try to keep yourself contained publicly. We don't want the reporters to catch wind of this yet.

**Ward**  
Absolutely.

**Me**  
By the way, how the hell did you keyboard smash on a touch screen?

**Ward**  
It's a talent. :-) 

* * *

Max smiled as she exited the main building. TGIF! With the final class of the day now over, it was time to start the weekend!

Well, theoretically. Practically everyone she'd hang out with was currently in another interview or the taking part in the latest string of scientific experiments, though when they spoke, Dana had stressed it was a very non-invasive type of study. No dissections, no probes involving stirrups, nothing like that. It actually sounded more like a meditative experiment, trying to see if the soulmark bearers could pick up on each others' moods or thoughts. There was no guarantee it would work, though, because there was no guarantee the 12 girls were actually connected to each other. Dana had high hopes that she'd be able to receive some sort of feedback from her other to help locate her. When Max had asked why she thought her other was a girl, Dana replied with a simple, "Call it a hunch."

So, Max was on her way back to the dorms and her room to hang out for a bit. Normally, she might be tempted to wander around town but not only did it not feel right to do so without Kate (Friday afternoons were kind of reserved for them and possible tea dates), Dana had asked that she stick around. "We haven't really got to hang out since this whole soulmark thing exploded," she had stated. "And since I've been excused from cheerleading and tonight's game thanks to all these interviews, I was hoping that as soon as I was done, I could grab you, Juliet, maybe a few others, and we could head out to enjoy a non-cafeteria dinner somewhere."

"That sounds pretty awesome," Max had replied with a small smile. "Anywhere in particular?"

"Honestly, I was hoping for either Chinese or Chili's since I haven't had either in a while. But we can vote on it later."

"Okay. Well, until then, have fun with the science experiments."

Dana leaned forward and wrapped Max in a warm hug. "I'll be done before you know it."

Max was finishing up another song on her guitar when a light knock sounded on her open door. She turned and smiled. "Kate! Come on in!" She set the guitar aside and rose to give Kate a warm hug. "How was the interview?"

"It went fairly well." Kate separated and sat on Max's couch. "This one was more of a conference call deal with my father, who reiterated some of the things I stated about soulmates in a previous interview."

"Is he excited about you having a mark?"

"Enormously." Kate smiled. "I called and spoke to my family earlier this week and everyone was almost more excited about it than I was. Even my mom was super excited."

Max grinned. "That's really good to hear. I'm glad they're supporting you so much."

"Same here."

There was movement outside of Max's door that caught the pair's attention. Max stood and greeted her latest visitors. "Hey guys!"

"Yo!" Chloe stepped up and gave Max a huge hug, lifting her from the floor in the process. "How does freedom taste?"

"Pretty good," Max said with a laugh, then stepped back when Chloe put her back down. "You brought the whole crew?" she asked, stepping up to give Rachel and Steph brief hugs.

"And then some."

Chloe was right. In a highly unusual turn of events, literally everyone on the girls' floor trickled into Max's room over the next few minutes and soon, it was filled to capacity. Stella, Kate and Chloe sat on the couch, with Rachel sitting in Chloe's lap. Courtney, Brooke, Alyssa, and Taylor all took to sitting on Max's bed. Dana sat cross-legged on the floor, back to Kate and Stella's legs, while Steph, Juliet, and Victoria stood near the front of the room.

Max, now seated on her desk chair, shifted nervously. That sense of anticipation from this morning was back with reinforcements. "So, um... What's up?"

There was a brief moment where everyone glanced to one another, before Juliet took a half step forward. "Okay, I'll start off by stating the obvious: all of us got our soulmarks Saturday and all at the same time." She nodded her head towards Max. "Except for you. As hyper-weird as that was for twelve people to all get a pretty rare soulmark all at the same time, I also thought it highly unusual you didn't get a mark, too. I was convinced you had to have one and tried a few different things to test it."

Max pulled up the left sleeve of her hoodie, exposing the faded yet still visible X on her left wrist. "No shit," she deadpanned.

Most everyone had a good chuckle at that before Juliet continued. "Obviously, all those tests failed for a variety of reasons. But." She glanced to Victoria, who took over.

"We've been texting each other on and off about you and how you might fit into this whole mess. Then, we had an epiphany: of all the places to check for a soulmark, we never once thought to look at your back." She nodded when Max's eyes widened slightly. "It's the one place you can't actually look yourself, not without breaking your spine, anyway."

"I remember you saying something about it in the locker room, now." Max shifted in her seat, then looked around the room. "So, you think I might have a mark on my back?"

"I do," Juliet replied with a nod. "After all, if a mark had appeared anywhere else on your body, you would've seen it a long time ago and probably told one of us by now. But, because I was so focused on your wrist, being that all of us have one there, I never once considered you could have a mark elsewhere. Sadly, we didn't have time to ask you before class started today. And since your normal clothing covers you so well, none of us could take a peek throughout the day."

Victoria snorted softly. "Except in PE but I screwed that up completely."

Max shrugged slightly, not noticing a few of the girls' reactions at Victoria admitting to making a mistake. "It was a mutual screw up, so no worries." She took a moment to clear her throat. "So, all of you want to look at my back, then?"

"Max." Kate leaned forward in her seat. "As you can imagine, all of us are incredibly eager to solve the mystery of our soulmarks. And if you do have a mark on your back, that might mean you're connected to one or more of us." She smiled widely at that, her excitement getting the best of her, then clasped her hands together in front of face, taking a moment to calm down. "But I promise you, none of us want you to feel uncomfortable or self-conscious, so while we do want to check, it'll only be with your absolute permission. If you'd rather us leave so you can check yourself with your camera or phone, none of us will hold it against you." She motioned to the whole room. "Right?"

Everyone nodded and gave their unconditional agreement, then fell silent and watched Max carefully. Eagerly. The tension was in the room palpable. But, it wasn't a bad tension. It reminded Max of a hockey crowd on the edge of their seats, hoping for a winning goal. She nibbled on her bottom lip as she thought. Dog, after everything they've gone through so far, she really, really, _really_ didn't want to disappoint everyone by not having a mark.

But what if she did have a mark? What happened next? Was she ready to have a soulmate? Could she handle a soulmate? Did she deserve a soulmate? What if her soulmate didn't like her?

Max immediately shook her head at that. No, that was impossible. Literally. She read up a bit on soulmates herself and what she discovered was the bond between soulmates tended to smooth out any incompatibility issues between the people involved. It didn't alter personalities, per se, just made things better between them through a combination of pure empathy and deep understanding. Soulmates just knew each other better than anyone else.

Would it work like that for her? Max lifted her gaze and looked across the room to Victoria. If the tall blonde wound up being her soulmate, would that mean she'd stop picking on her so much? Would she actually start seeing Max as a person and fellow photographer and not just a bug to be squashed? Max turned her gaze to Chloe. If it was Chloe, would she finally forgive her for practically abandoning her for five years? What if it was Brooke? If her soulmate was Brooke, would she finally stop hating her so much? What if it was Kate? Or Stella? Or Dana?

Or...

Max blinked and looked around the room, at everyone sitting and standing all around her. What if she had more than one soulmate? Would it be as wonderful as she had read about? Or would she be the odd-man out and make things weird and awkward? Would anyone want to actually reciprocate their marks with her?

She cleared her throat again. Well, there was one way to find out.

Everyone in the room watched as Max stood from her chair. "I..." Her voice cracked and she swallowed. "Sorry. I'm just nervous."

"No problem, dude," Chloe said softly.

"Take your time," Rachel added.

Max nodded, then took a deep breath. "No one has to leave. I don't want to kick anyone out, not for something as important as this."

"Are you sure?" Alyssa asked. "Seriously, we don't mind."

"I appreciate it, really. But, it's good. You're good." Max shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "But, maybe, if everyone can turn around for a minute? Please? I don't think I can do this otherwise."

Dana nodded. "Absolutely." A moment later, she, along with everyone else, turned around or rotated in place to face the door, then waited.

Max turned around herself. It was going to be a whole lot easier if she could pretend there was no one else around. She took off her hoodie and draped it over the back of her chair, then reached up under her shirt and unclipped her bra. She took another deep breath, then pulled her shirt up and over her head, keeping it tucked under her chin and held against her chest to maintain a bit of modesty. Despite the warmth of the room, a shiver ran down her spine. After taking a moment to steel herself, she swallowed the lump in her throat and called out, "Ready."

As one, the room turned back around and looked. And as one, they gasped. In shock. In amazement. In joy. For there, on Max's back, was not one, not two, but thirteen soulmarks. Their twelve, arranged in a circle like the numbers on a clock, on a backdrop of a thirteenth symbol: the head of a doe, facing outwards.

As impossible as it was to fathom, Max was their soulmate.

All of theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a shocking conclusion! Or, exactly what you anticipated! Either way, now it's official: Max has twelve soulmates. Even in this universe, it's super unusual but there's no denying the blatant evidence. Who will reciprocate the marks? Will anyone reject it? All that's to come, and is the reason I had to extend this work yet again!
> 
> The idea that I have is, even though it takes time for the emotional bond mentioned in the previous chapter to form between soulmates, because Max is the center of 12 others, she was feeling the effect faster than them. Everyone was inadvertently channeling their feelings and Max was picking up on all of it. Hence, the unusual sense of anticipation she was feeling at the beginning of the work.
> 
> Why didn't she feel anything sooner? Actually, she might have. She did act seemingly out of character when she protected Juliet earlier I the week, though there was a rational explanation for her behavior. I like to think that Max had been feeling bits and pieces but, as she didn't have a mark on her wrist, found ways to explain away the sensations every time.
> 
> I also tried to keep things silly and fun in this chapter. I hope it worked! I don't know if the "shove the nerd in the locker" trope still exists but it did when I watched movies, so the whole gym thing was a huge play on that.
> 
> One more chapter to go! I think.


	4. Reciprocation, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the length! Once I got started, I just couldn't stop. I hope you enjoy!  
If you'd like to see what else I'm up to, or just wanna fiddle around, hop over to [my Tumblr page](https://ehc-on-ao3.tumblr.com/).

As could be expected, it took the girls several minutes to finally calm down. Max, who was still only partially dressed, was incredibly understanding about everyone's excitement and didn't complain once about everyone crowding around her, giving soft touches and gentle strokes to the soulmarks on her back. Eventually, though, Chloe and Kate both realized that their shy friend likely needed a bit of space and got everyone to finally back away, though not before Alyssa and Victoria, with permission, snapped a couple of photos of Max's back so she, too, could see what they were seeing.

"Wowsers." Max examined one of the photos sent to her on her laptop, scrolling down, then back up. "This is incredible." She zoomed into one soulmark, a black wolf looking towards the sky. "These are a perfect match to all of yours. I guess that really does mean I'm all of your soulmates," she said, turning to give the room a warm smile.

Everyone smiled right back. "And how are you feeling about all of this?" Kate asked.

"I..." Max glanced around the room, to her laptop screen, then back again. "A bit overwhelmed? I mean, no one ever plans to get a soulmate, never mind twelve of them!"

"Tell me about it," Victoria stated with a slight roll of her eyes.

"Okay, wait." Taylor motioned with her hands as a new thought occurred to her. "Does that mean we're soulmates to each other, too?" she asked, glancing around the room.

Chloe shrugged. "Maybe? We don't have each other's marks, though. And I know for a fact that if people are soulmates, they share marks."

"If there were only two soulmates, yes." The room turned their attention to Stella, who continued. "I was curious about how all of this might work, so every reporter that interviewed me, I also asked a ton of questions. They explained that on groups of two or three soulmates, everyone usually shares each others' soulmarks, too. But in larger groups, that's typically not the case, and sometimes one person becomes the... focus?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember. "I forgot the term they used but I think it starts with an 'F'."

"Fulcrum," Juliet said, eyes glued to her phone. "Sometimes 'axis' is used as well. To denote one soulmate who's the center of several others." She scrolled down the article she was reading. "I found info on a group of five who spoke about their experiences. They said that some time after their marks were reciprocated by their axis, each of their marks started appearing on one another, though smaller in size. They theorized that over time, their connection to each other grew until they received a sort of secondhand reciprocation."

"Color or not?" Courtney asked.

"Hmm." Juliet scanned the article again. "Doesn't specify," she replied after a moment.

Steph lifted her arm and examined her soulmark. "So, we'll eventually get everyone's marks, then?"

"If they're reciprocated," Victoria clarified.

The room fell silent at that, as everyone realized, perhaps for the first time, that having an actual, authentic, honest-to-goodness, reciprocating, forever and ever soulmate was within tantalizing reach. And how some of them weren't as excited about that as others.

"No one has to," came Max's soft statement. She cleared her throat when everyone turned to her. "I won't ask. Because I have everyone's marks, me asking might make it seem like I was coercing you into doing something you don't want. I'd never do that to anyone, much less my friends, much less my soulmates." She looked at each girl in turn without judgment, an understanding look on her face. "And no matter what, I'll promise to keep it a secret. I won't tell anyone."

Perhaps it was due to their emotional bond strengthening but everyone in the room absolutely knew that Max was telling the truth. She wouldn't ask. She'd never force anyone to do something against their will. And she'd keep her mark a secret, all the way to the grave, if need be. For their sake, she'd never bring it up again, remain forever silent about it, no matter how much it'd kill her.

Because she wanted this. Somehow, they also knew that Max wanted a soulmate. Badly. Someone to talk to, to confide in, to spend time with. Someone who could finally, _finally_, understand her, tell her she deserved love, tell her she was loved. She wanted someone to love, to cherish, to adore, for all time. To have that possibility hovering just inches away, to have that reality dangling within reach, was captivating. Mesmerizing. Intoxicating.

And for them, for all their sakes, for their collective comfort and protection, she'd deny herself and never, ever ask.

That level of selflessness was too much for Victoria to handle in that moment. She turned and with a short, "I'll be back," hurried from Max's room and ducked into her own. Once safely inside, she let out a shuddering breath and sank into her couch, then buried her face in her hands, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

She wasn't surprised when a couple of moment later, her door opened and closed again. "You didn't have to come," she whispered.

"Of course we did," Taylor replied, taking a seat next to Victoria. "You're our friend and we're worried."

"Max was concerned, too," Courtney said softly, sitting opposite Taylor, "and looked like she wanted to follow, but I told her it was okay, you just needed a moment, and we'd make sure you were okay."

Victoria nodded slightly, then lowered her hands. She looked back and forth between her friends, taking a tissue from Courtney when it was offered. "Thanks." She dabbed at the moisture pooling at her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't deserve you two," she muttered.

Taylor shrugged. "Deserved or not, we're what you got. Who else is going to stomach you bitching and moaning about classes and homework and the lack of quality sex?"

"Life just wouldn't be the same if I wasn't following you around like a lovesick puppy," Courtney stated with a sagely nod, "waiting for that one moment of validation that makes the day worth living."

Victoria snorted out a wet laugh. "Fuck you both."

The pair shared a grin, happy to have cheered up their friend. "We had an inkling why you needed to leave," Taylor added. "We both felt it, too. Max is something else, isn't she?"

"Yeah. I knew she was strong, in here," Victoria said softly, tapping her chest, "considering she wasn't ever phased by anything we ever said to her. But to witness it like this? To feel it?" She shook her head. "It was..."

"Too much," Courtney finished, after a moment.

"Unexpected," Taylor added.

"Both." Victoria sighed and toed off her shoes. "If it's okay with you, I want to veg here a bit. Just to resettle."

"Sure thing," Taylor said with a smile, then sat back on the couch. "Wanna kill the time by watching another one of your cartoons?"

"Anime," Victoria corrected automatically. "And we could. But nothing new. Something classic and light-hearted."

"_My Neighbor Totoro_?" Courtney suggested, rising to get Victoria's laptop from her desk.

"Mmm, something shorter."

"_Ranma 1/2_?"

"Less martial arts."

"_You're Under Arrest_?"

Victoria nodded. "Perfect. We can re-watch the first episode, then head out for dinner."

"Sounds good to me," Taylor agreed as she wrapped her arms around one of the throw pillows on the couch.

They were halfway through the episode, right before the extended chase scene, when all three of them felt it: a swell of euphoria, like every happy thought they ever had coming all at once. They gasped and rode out the wave of joy that swept through them.

"Oh, my God," Taylor whispered when it was finished. "Holy fucking shit."

"I--" Victoria blinked rapidly, unable to say anything for several seconds. "What the hell was..."

"Reciprocation." Courtney turned to her friends, her own shocked expression morphing into a broad smile. "It has to be. Someone reciprocated with Max."

The three looked to each other, then, anime forgotten, shot off the couch to hurry out of the room.

* * *

Victoria's abrupt departure, coupled with Courtney and Taylor both leaving to join her, marked a temporary end to all the excitement. The remaining girls had a feeling that discussing their soulmarks, and possible reciprocation, could wait until later, perhaps after dinner. Tentative plans were made to travel together (Dana still suggesting Chinese or Chili's) before everyone left to their own rooms.

Except one.

Max closed her door after the last person has left, then sat down next to Kate on the bed. "You said you wanted to talk?"

"I do. " Kate smiled and motioned towards her soulmark. "About this. About us. About everything. But, only if you felt like talking about it now. As much as you said that you don't want to feel like you're coercing us into something we don't want to do, neither do I want you to feel pressured into discussing this now if you'd rather wait for later."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Max glanced down to her hands as she fiddled with her fingers a bit. "I think it might've been too intimidating to talk about it to everyone all at once, but just you, right now? One on one?" She raised her gaze and smiled. "That, I can handle."

Kate shifted and turned until she was facing Max, who did the same. "First, I want you to know that what you said before, about not asking, is the nicest, most selfless thing I've heard from anyone in quite some time." She smiled and placed a hand atop Max's. "Thank you for looking after us like that."

Max flushed red at the compliment but still managed a soft, "You're welcome," in response.

"Second, I want to let you know that, should you want it, I am ready to reciprocate our bond."

"I..." Max blinked, caught completely off-guard. "Really? So quick?"

"Really. You, Max, are one of my best friends and I love you so much already." Kate blushed ever-so slightly but continued. "When I received my soulmark a week ago and really started thinking about what that might mean for me and my other, all I could picture was how I was around you. We already share a strong bond of friendship, I feel, and enjoy spending time together, whether it's tea dates, or doing home work together, or just walking around campus, enjoying the fresh air." She gave Max's hand a gentle squeeze. "Being soulmates wouldn't take that away and would, in fact, strengthen that bond. Why wouldn't I want more of that?"

Hearing the earnestness in Kate's voice made Max blush slightly but there was no stopping the wide smile from forming on her face. "I'd love that," she whispered. "To have more of that with you. And maybe..." She couldn't finish the thought, not now, not yet, but couldn't help but flick her gaze down to Kate's lips.

When Kate noticed where Max's gaze had gone, face turning a deeper shade, her own blush returned. She hadn't given a lot of thought to kissing Max, though she certainly wasn't adverse to the idea. Up until now, it had been a quiet little thing that would crop up in the back of her mind from time to time but thankfully, it was rather easy to ignore. It did bring up a couple of important questions, though. Was she gay? Was she not? Truthfully, she wasn't certain. How fortunate that none of that mattered with soulmates, who transcended the societal constructs of gender roles and traditional relationship norms. Soulmates simply _were_, and, so long as Max was willing, she'd be delighted to explore that possibility with her.

Later, though. First, there was the small matter of reciprocation to handle. To that end, Kate gave Max's hand another small squeeze. "Would you like to reciprocate with me?"

"I do." Max smiled. "Are you sure you want this?"

"More than anything," was Kate's soft reply.

"Okay." Max shifted in her seat, suddenly unsure how to proceed. "Um..."

"If you don't mind, could you lie down on your stomach?" Kate asked, giving the bed a small pat. "I'd like to go first and it would make it so much easier for me."

"Oh. Sure." Max kicked off her shoes and did exactly that, resting her head on her crossed arms. She glanced at Kate. "Do you want me to lift my shirt?"

Kate stood and doffed her cardigan, placing it over the back of Max's chair. "With your permission, I'd love to have that honor."

"O-okay."

Kate pulled off her sneakers, placing them next to Max's, then climbed onto the bed. She then straddled Max's hips, an act that made both of them blush again. Using both hands, Kate gently grasped the bottom hem of Max's shirt and eased the offending garment up her back. Kate was careful not to touch anything inappropriate, though she recognized just how ludicrously easy it'd be to do so. Judging by how Max's breathing had quickened, she must've been thinking the same thing.

And she was. For Max, who had never done anything more involved than hugging, who hadn't even been kissed yet, this act, innocent as can be, was also incredibly intimate. To feel Kate's fingers brush her bare back was more than a bit erotic. Max found herself irrationally happy that she was on her stomach, keeping her hardening nipples hidden from view.

Once Max's shirt was bunched up around her shoulder blades, Kate spent several moments simply tracing the marks on Max's back. "It's so incredible, seeing your doe this close," she whispered, "and all of our marks orbiting yours, like a soulmark zodiac." She reached out and bracketed Max's body with both arms, then leaned forward until she was hovering just above her soulmate's back.

Her soulmate. The thought made Kate giddy.

"With this act," she began, her voice still a soft whisper, "I declare to the world, to my Lord and God, and to you, that we are joined. Two souls, now one, connected eternally. Let no one doubt our love for one another. And should the world crumble all around us, we shall endure, in this life and the next. You, Maxine Caulfield, are mine, just as I, Kate Beverly Marsh, are yours. Forever more." And with that, she tilted herself forward and gently, lovingly, kissed Max's mark.

Max gasped aloud as pure euphoria shot through her entire frame. Her back arched as she rode the tidal waves of rapture, joy unlike any other filling her very soul. For several long moments, she was lost in the sensations until eventually, she came down to Earth.

The first thing Max noticed was Kate was now laying partially on top of her, one arm wrapped around her waist. Holding her close. Max blinked her eyes open and turned her head, seeing Kate inches away. She licked her lips and said the first thing that came to mind:

"Wowsers."

Kate giggled, Max joining her a moment later. "'Wowsers?' Really, Max?"

"I couldn't think of anything else to say!" Max protested, all smiles.

"You're fine, dear." Kate brought her hand up and brushed Max's hair behind her ear. "You're perfectly fine."

Max sighed happily. This felt right. Being with Kate like this was wonderful. Briefly, she wondered if it would be like this with everyone before mentally banishing the thought. In their own time. Hopefully. "Are you ready for me to reciprocate your mark?" Max asked.

"Absolutely."

Nodding, Max rotated until she was facing Kate. She gently took Kate's left hand in her right and brought their joined hands closer to her face. She smiled a bit sheepishly. "I don't have a nice speech thought out like you did. Sorry."

"Quite all right, dear."

"But," Max continued, "I will say that we were already such great friends even before all this happened, so you being my soulmate is wonderful. I loved you already, and with this kiss, I promise to always love you and will do everything in my power to protect you." And with that, she turned her head slightly and gave Kate's mark a gentle kiss.

And while she didn't feel exactly the same sensations this time around, the completion of their bond meant that Max most certainly knew how joyous Kate felt in that blissful moment.

* * *

The rest of the evening went... not normal. But still nice. When the newly reciprocated soulmates exited Max's room, both were immediately swarmed by everyone hovering just outside Max's door, wanting to see their marks. Kate's was easy to show off: her bunny was now fully colored, white, like Alice, but with brownish highlights instead of black. In addition, Max's doe mark adorned Kate's wrist, also in color. To see Kate now possessing both marks made several of the girls squeal in delight.

Max's mark was a bit different. When she turned and exposed her back to the group, everyone saw that while Kate's mark was now colored, Max's wasn't. At least, not completely. Instead, the portion of her mark nearest Kate's was the only part colored in, leaving the rest solid black. Everyone concluded that Max's own mark would only be completely colored when everyone reciprocated, something that Max emphasized, once again, no one had to do.

Dinner came and went with no issues, with a good sized portion of the girls travelling together to a Chinese buffet about 45 minutes from Arcadia Bay. A couple of the nosier photographers trailed them but fortunately for everyone's peace of mind, Kate's sleeves were long enough to cover her mark, preventing any potential leaks. Conversation was light and fun, with the topic of soulmates kept far from the table, though there was one question on everyone's minds: who would reciprocate next?

* * *

The following afternoon found Max at her desk, examining all the photos she had taken at the World Forestry Center. What an awesome trip! She, Kate, and Stella piled into Alyssa's car and left early that morning to beat any crowds that might form later, and they were pretty successful. The four were able to explore the center, indoors and out, without any crowds getting in the way, which helped them get some really good shots. Afterwards, they ate a nice lunch at an untested restaurant, then decided that while the food was pretty good, it wasn't worth a return visit. They returned to Blackwell soon after. Overall, it was a rather successful excursion.

Max was weighing the pros and cons between two photos (their Photography assignment was "something green") when a soft knock caught her attention. She turned, and smiled. "Stella! Come in."

"Hey, Max." Stella stepped inside and gently closed the door behind her. "I was wondering if we could talk?"

Max stood from her desk chair and motioned towards her couch. "Sure thing. About soulmates, I take it?"

Stella took a seat on one end of the couch and gave Max a small smile. "Is it that obvious?"

"Usually, I'd say no," Max replied as she joined Stella. "But I did notice you were kind of quiet about it during the drive when Alyssa brought it up. I figured you were thinking about it pretty hard."

"I was." Stella shifted in her seat slightly. "Like you said yesterday, no one ever plans to have a soulmate. Maybe you wish for it, like you would for a unicorn, or a loving family, or super powers, but you don't actually plan on it." She turned away and scratched at her ear, not noticing Max's eyes narrow slightly at the slip. "So, to suddenly have a mark, it threw me for a loop. I was..." Stella cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Max. "I know how soulmates are supposed to work, how having one smooths over incompatibility issues between the people involved. I was hoping to get your honest thoughts on something without that sort of handwaving deal magically fixing things."

"Sure thing."

Stella clasped her hands together and brought them up to her face, then tapped her hands against her chin a few times, thinking, parsing out her next words carefully. "What..." She stopped, thought for a second, then switched gears. "Do you have any experience with, or familiarity with, people that don't quite fit into the typical male/female gender roles?"

It certainly wasn't a question Max was expecting, not by a long shot, but fortunately, she had an easy answer. "Actually, yes. It's not something I mention too often but my uncle used to be my aunt."

Stella blinked, a bit surprised. "Really?"

"Really," Max said with a nod. "When my family moved from Arcadia Bay to Seattle, we had to move in with my uncle temporarily to make ends meet. He was the only family who had the space to take us in and the only reason he had that space available in the first place was due to the falling out between him and the rest of the family." She shrugged slightly. "Being trans wasn't something most of the others knew how to handle."

"But you were okay with it?"

"Yeah. I mean, it probably helped that I only had a few memories of my aunt, when he was a she, and that was when I was pretty young. My parents didn't care. Or, it's probably better to say they were in too tight of a bind to care," she corrected. "My mom probably would've had a tougher time adjusting to her sister being her brother if it wasn't for her being too busy trying to find a job, then, after finding one, spending so much time at work."

"And your father?" Stella asked.

"Rolled with it pretty easy, I think." Max suddenly grinned. "I think he was more disappointed that having a new brother-in-law didn't automatically translate into someone who'd drink beer and watch sports with him."

"I bet," Stella said with a slight smile, which faded. "And you seriously had no problems adjusting to it?"

"I was a bit confused, sure. But my uncle encouraged me to ask him anything about it, so I did. He was patient with me and explained things until I understood. But more important than understanding was accepting. That came first, actually, because even if I didn't get it, I could accept it." Max smiled. "I think he really appreciated someone who just nodded their head and accepted him at face value because our relationship got really strong, to the point that he was the first person I came out to."

"So, you're gay? Bi?"

Max nodded. "Gay. There's the occasional guy who I think it cute but for the most part, I'm a ladies' lady," she stated, deepening her voice to ridiculous levels.

Stella snorted out a laugh. "You got that from Chloe, didn't you?"

"How'd you guess?"

"You're totally not smooth enough to pull it off," Stella said with a grin.

"You got that right!" Max said with a laugh, Stella joining in. A moment later, Max straightened. "I take it you're asking me because you're trans yourself?"

"Not... exactly." Stella took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I'm actually intersex. Have you ever heard of that before?"

"I haven't," Max replied after a moment.

"It's kind of a catch-all term to describe people with a mix or blend of sexual characteristics or chromosomes," Stella explained, "who may or may not fall into your typical definitions of male and female body types. The old word was 'hermaphrodite' but that's considered derogatory nowadays."

Max nodded. "I understand. Then, just let me know what pronouns to use and if there's anything I can do to help or what your boundaries might be. Even if we don't reciprocate, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me."

Stella simply stared at Max for several long moments. "That's it? Don't you have questions for me, like, are you really a boy or a girl? Or, what does your body look like, or what's in between your legs?"

"No," Max stated quite firmly. "First off, that's really rude. Second, I can tell it's a really sensitive subject for you, so I'll only ask if you give me permission. Until then, I'll wait for you to tell me. And third, even if I have questions, they ultimately don't matter. All that does matter is my acceptance."

"I--" Stella's breath hitched as relief flooded her. She snatched off her glasses and began wiping her eyes. "Sorry..."

"You're fine, it's okay." Max quickly grabbed her box of tissues from her desk and brought them over. "Let me know what you need."

Stella nodded, then took a couple of minutes to regain her composure. "Thank you. For being so damn understanding."

"Always."

"And," Stella continued, "I'm ready to reciprocate. If you'll have me."

Max blinked. "Really?"

"Really." Stella sniffed and gave Max a warm smile. "You're already such a good friend. Maybe we don't hang out every single day but you've always been so nice and kind to me. To everyone, really. Even before all of this happened," she said, pointing to her wrist, "Kate would mention that about you whenever we'd hang out." She giggled. "I think she had a bit of a crush on you."

"She did," Max admitted. "We talked about it a bit Friday night, after dinner. We, um, haven't really done anything towards that end but the, uh, possibility is there for later. Um."

Stella laughed when Max blushed slightly. "Even reciprocated, you're so adorably shy. It's cute."

"Thanks? I think." Max couldn't possibly feel put-out, though, not when Stella was feeling so much better. Instead, she reached forward and, when Stella nodded, gently took hold of her friend's left arm. She eased down the sleeve of Stella's purple sweatshirt, exposing her soulmark: a chain five links long, the center link broken in half.

She traced the mark with a fingertip. "I don't want to presume," Max began softly, "but, based of what you've told me, I don't think your family was accepting of you."

"They weren't," Stella replied, just as quietly.

Max could tell that this, too, was a sensitive topic. "Then, your mark makes perfect sense. This," she said, tapping the broken center link, "I feel, is a symbol. Of you breaking free from them. From their expectations of you. From their negativity." She looked Stella in the eyes and smiled. "You're my soulmate, Stella Hill, and I will protect you forever."

Again, tears fell from Stella's eyes. She'd never thought that anyone would ever accept her without reservation. But, as Max's lips made contact with her mark, as pure joy flooded her entire soul, she knew she'd always be accepted.

* * *

Max's typical dinner plans on Saturdays was either something from the Two Whales or, if Joyce was off that day, a home-cooked meal at Chloe's. Today, though, was a little different.

"That was so good," Max told Rachel as they both sat on the latter's bed. "I haven't had lasagna in a long time. And I don't count the stuff served in the cafeteria. Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome," Rachel replied. "Mom's always happy to feed others, especially my friends."

"Which mom, again?" Max asked with a grin.

Rachel gave Max a playful shove. "Rose, you dork. While Sera can cook, even she admits she can't lay out a spread like Rose can."

"It was cool to see the both of them tonight," Max continued. "I know you said Sera typically works on the weekends and can't make the drive up."

"She recently got promoted and has much better hours than before, so can visit more frequently." Rachel gave her hair a toss, then turned when her bedroom door open.

"Yo!" Chloe stepped inside, carrying a tray that held 3 cans of soda and a large bowl overflowing with popcorn. "I got us eats for the movie."

Max mocked winced and clutched her stomach. "No more, please. I can't eat any more."

Chloe kicked the door shut behind her. "That's what I figured. To be honest, this was just cover so the parental figures downstairs would leave us be for a couple of hours."

"Really?" Max asked with a blink. "How come?"

"We'll get to that in a minute," Rachel said as she hopped off the bed, then reached for a couple of remotes. "First, let me crank the movie for a bit of background noise."

A couple of minutes later found the _Princess Bride_ playing on Rachel's TV, the room's regular lights off, stars shining on the ceiling, and the three girls seated on the bed, Max between Rachel and Chloe. It was a slightly odd arrangement since they usually sat together with Max was off to one side. She wasn't sure what to make of it. "So, um, what did you guys want to talk about?"

"Three guesses, dude," Chloe answered with a small smile. "And the first two don't count."

Max glanced at the both of them and fought the urge to shift nervously. "When I promised I wouldn't ever ask anyone to reciprocate, I actually had you two in mind. I know how much you two love each other and I'd never get in the way of that. And I know how much you hate the idea of soulmates, so--" Her speech was interrupted when Rachel placed a finger on her lips.

"Let me stop you right there," Rachel said, smiling when Max blinked in surprise. "We do want to talk to you about soulmates but not the way you're thinking."

"Yeah," Chloe added, catching Max's attention. "We actually want to know if you want to reciprocate."

"Really?" Max blinked. "But, why? I thought you hated soulmates. I heard you rant about it enough."

"What I hated was the thought to some dumbass coming in and trying to rip Rachel away from me," Chloe clarified. "Someone like Nathan, who doesn't understand love in the first place, or one of the football players, like Logan, who'd see the soulmarks as a means to get into Rachel's pants." She bumped Max's shoulder with her own. "But you're not like that. You get it. And you'd never try to break us up."

"No, never," Max agreed emphatically, then turned when Rachel placed a hand on her shoulder.

"And that's why we were wondering if you'd like to reciprocate with us," Rachel said. "Because all three of us are friends and being soulmates wouldn't change that. It would only amplify it." She smiled. "Plus, I've been chatting with Kate, asking her questions about how things feel now and it honestly sounds really awesome."

Max lowered her gaze to her lap, a small smile on her face. "It is," she said softly. "To feel that connection to her and Stella, that sense of companionship, that warmth. Even now. It's almost like they're both right here in the room with me." She clasped her hands together. "It's a constant reminder that I'll never be lonely again."

Chloe and Rachel exchanged quick glances behind Max's back before they both wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We want to be part of that," Chloe stated, softer than Max had ever heard her before. "To be with you. Always."

"We love you," Rachel added. "And I can't think of a better way to show that love to you than by reciprocating."

Max sniffed. Dog, her friends were being just too damn wonderful. But she had to know something first. "Does this mean you forgive me for abandoning you?" she asked, turning to Chloe.

Who blinked in surprise. "Seriously? You still think about that?"

"I've hated myself for the past five years," Max whispered. "For being too stupid to call and write, for being such a coward."

"Goddamn." Chloe wrapped both arms around Max and pulled her partway into her lap. "Dude, I forgive you. I forgave you years ago. Don't think about that shit anymore, 'cause I don't."

Max sniffed and nodded against Chloe's chest. "Okay." She felt Rachel's hand on her shoulder and drew comfort in that touch. If Chloe forgave her and her girlfriend didn't hate her, then maybe it'd be okay to reciprocate. After another minute, she straightened and wiped at her face with her hoodie sleeves. "Thank you."

"Of course."

Max lowered her hands, then looked between Rachel and Chloe. Her soulmates.  "I take it you want to do it right now?"

Chloe smirked, a glint in her eyes. "Dude, I'm always ready to do it." A moment later, she was flopping over as both Max and Rachel playfully shoved her to the side. "What'd I say?!"

A few hours later, once night had truly fallen, all three girls were curled up together on Rachel's full-sized bed. Max lay on her side, being spooned by Rachel who was, in turn, being spooned by Chloe. The blue-haired punk had already fallen asleep, one arm wrapped around Rachel's waist. Max figured Rachel was asleep, too, so was a bit surprised when she heard her name whispered in her ear. "Hmm?"

"I had a feeling you were still up," Rachel whispered, smile evident in her voice. "Uncomfortable?"

"No, not that," Max whispered in reply, turning her head slightly. "Just not used to company in bed, that's all."

"Understandable. But, since you're up, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You really want everyone to reciprocate, don't you?"

Max gently bit her bottom lip. No point in lying, not to her soulmate. "I do. Very much. Way more than I ever thought I would."

"And yet, you won't ask."

"No." Max slowly rotated in place until she was facing Rachel. "I really did mean what I said before. Even if I am the fulcrum or axis or whatever, it's not really my place to ask, I feel. I refuse to pressure anyone into reciprocating if they don't want to."

"Who do you think wouldn't?"

"Victoria, for certain. And along with her, Taylor and Courtney. Brooke, too. They're the ones who hated me the most, so I don't think they'll ever ask."

"You thought Chloe hated it, though," Rachel pointed out. "And you were wrong about that."

"True," Max conceded, "but she hated the _idea_ of soulmates. They hate _me_. Big difference."

Rachel really didn't think that was true, knowing Vicky the way she did, but that was something to tackle tomorrow. Right now, it was time to deflect. To that end, Rachel tilted her head forward and gave Max a friendly peck on the lips. "Goodnight, Max. I hope you have pleasant dreams." Just as she hoped, her kiss blew any potential questions right out of Max's brain. She smiled at Max's bright blush. "We're soulmates now, so a kiss tonight is normal. Trust me."

"O-okay. Um." Max gulped, watching as Rachel closed her eyes and settled in to sleep. Her lips tingled for a very long time.

* * *

Sunday afternoon found Max back in her dorm room, doing homework. Thankfully, there wasn't an awful lot this time around, just Photography and Life Drawing. All the interviews and whatnot throughout the week kept her friends too busy to hang out, which meant she killed a lot of time by staying ahead of her assignments. For once. She was finalizing her report on her Photography assignment when there was a knock on her open door. "Come in!"

She turned in her seat and blinked in surprise. "Hey, Brooke. What's up?"

Uncharacteristically, Brooke didn't meet her gaze. "Can we talk a minute?"

"Sure." Max waited as Brooke closed the door behind her, then sat on the edge of the bed. "Everything okay?"

"Mostly," Brooke stated. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Last night, I called my mom. Told her I might've found my other, as a test." She snorted. "After she finished blasting out my ear drums with her scream, I told her it was with another girl. I admitted I was worried about her reaction.

"She knew exactly what I meant and didn't miss a beat. She immediately got me on an international conference call with my great-grandmother in Seoul. It must've cost an arm and a leg but when mom explained what was happening, I figured out why she did it. Turns out, great-grandma has a soulmark, too, and her other was also a woman." Brooke gave Max a smile. "Mom wanted me to know, in her own way, that she and the entire family would always love and accept me, even if my other was a girl." She shrugged. "Great-grandma then explained that her other actually lived in what is now North Korea, and wasn't able to move South before the country got split in half. Took over a decade for them to be reunited."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah. But at least they had their happy ending. Great-grandma said she never gave up on being reunited with her other because she loved her with all her heart and soul. She also said that no one in the family would ever judge me for having a girl soulmate, or being gay, or loving a woman, or anything like that. And if I found anyone who did have a problem with it, I should laugh in their face because people like that would spend an eternity in the afterlife being eaten alive by maggots who hungered for their rotten hearts."

"Whoa," Max said with a blink. "Pretty intense."

"Great-grandma doesn't suffer fools, that's for damn sure, though at 93, I'm pretty sure she's allowed to be as fiercely opinionated as she wants." Brooke rubbed the back of her neck. "Felt really nice to have that support, let me tell you. Her and mom both."

"I bet." Max sat back. "So, can I ask?"

"I don't know," Brooke replied, anticipating Max's question. "I never really gave it any thought. I went after Warren because I thought he was cute, so I assumed that meant I'm straight. But I also think some girls are pretty cute, too." She shrugged helplessly. "Maybe I'm bi?"

"It's okay to not be sure," Max stated. "If there's one thing I was taught, it's that when it comes to sex and who you're attracted to and all that, sometimes, it's cut and dry, and other times, it's a confusing mess. Just know that I won't ever judge you, gay, straight, bi, whatever, even if we don't reciprocate."

"You never had the hots for Warren?"

Max had been anticipating that question for a while now. "I thought he was cute, just like you did. But I wasn't ever really interested in him that way. I skew way more to the girl side of things, especially when thinking of actual relationships."

"Then, would you say that I'm cute?"

This question, Max definitely wasn't expecting. "Um, would it make you feel better if I answered yes or no?"

Brooke sighed and looked away, knowing why Max was so hesitant. "I don't hate you, Max," she said with a small shake of her head. "I never did. That's the other thing I wanted to tell you. What I hated was, even when we were together, Warren would always have his eyes on you instead of me. It pissed me off and I was taking it out on you instead of him like I should've."

"Sorry about that."

Brooke waved that aside. "Not your fault, though I was really happy to hear you shot him down Monday."

Max was wondering if anyone caught wind of that. "Well, like I said, I lean more towards the ladies, so I have no interest in dating Warren. Plus, when he told me why you and he weren't together anymore, it really rubbed me the wrong way. We haven't really spoken since."

"For what it's worth, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Max thought that was the end of the conversation. She was, therefore, caught off-guard when Brooke asked, "Would you reciprocate with me?"

"Huh?" Max had to take a moment to think of something substantial to say. "You really want to? With me?"

"I'd been thinking about it even before my phone call to great-grandma," Brooke explained. "When I told her I was on the fence, she told me that her love for her other was so strong that not even 11 million communists could break it apart and that if I didn't lock that down, I was an idiot." She smirked. "That isn't the reason I'm asking now, though. What made my mind up was then she asked about you. I told her a little bit, about how you love photography, how you're this quietly cool person on campus who knows exactly what she is and is comfortable with that. How you seem to be nice to most everyone, though you do have some bite to you. I told her about you not asking us to reciprocate, how you wouldn't ask, for our sake. Wanna know what she said to that?"

"What?"

"'See? She already loves you. So kiss her already and make it official!'" Brooke grinned when Max ducked her head, a small smile on her face. "But yeah, between you watching out for us like you are, you not being a huge bitch to me, even when I deserved it, you already being pretty awesome, I can't see any reason why I wouldn't want to reciprocate. And just because we reciprocate doesn't mean I can't live my life how I choose. I'll just have a soulmate with me every step of the way."

"Are you sure?" Max asked, turning to face Brooke. "I don't want you to regret it later, especially with all the added attention you'll likely get from reporters and whatnot."

"If great-grandma can survive being without her other for a decade," Brooke stated emphatically, "fighting to free her soulmate from North Korea that entire time, I'm pretty sure I can handle telling a couple of nosy reporters to bite my ass."

Max grinned at that. "Okay." She rose from her desk chair and watched as Brooke pulled up her sleeve, exposing her soulmark: a pretty accurate depiction of Leonardo da Vinci's Aerial Screw. "I think your mark is pretty cool, by the way. Very you."

"Thanks. I remember seeing this on a poster somewhere when I was way younger and I've been fascinated by flying ever since."

"Then, with this act," Mas stated, bringing Brooke's wrist up to her lips, "I hope to send your spirit soaring through the clouds." She gave Brooke a wide, shit-eating grin.

Who rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, that was the cheesiest thing I--" The rest of Brooke's rant was cut off as Max's lips made contact with her mark and she discovered, cheesy or not, Max absolutely didn't lie.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Max sat on her couch, room door open, relaxing. Her homework was all finished so she decided to while away the time by playing her guitar. She didn't have any particular song in mind. Rather, she had her eyes closed, feeling the sensations that came from her newly-reciprocated bond with her soulmates, her fingers plucking out seemingly random notes in the process. She had a vague idea of composing a song to commemorate the day when she reciprocated with all twelve of her soulmates but didn't think it'd actually happen. Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney would have to reciprocate as well. But then again, she never anticipated that Brooke would, either, and that happened a few hours ago. So, maybe?

A few minutes later, Max sensed that someone else was in the room with her. She blinked her eyes open only to see none other than the Queen B of Blackwell herself, Victoria Chase, seated on the edge of her bed. She was watching Max carefully, though she didn't appear to be pissed. Instead, she had a small smile on her face and was regarding Max warmly.

Max felt the slightest bit of heat creep up her neck. It was honestly a good look on her.

"Um, hey."

"Hey, yourself." Victoria motioned to the guitar in Max's hands. "You always play on Sundays?"

"I try to." Max took a moment to lift the guitar off her lap and lean it against the nearby wall. "I'll play here and there throughout the week, too, but on Sundays, there's usually less people around to disturb, so I try to play more."

Victoria nodded. "Makes sense. And what was the name of that piece? Another indie song?"

"No, actually. I wasn't playing anything in particular this time. Just messing around."

"Okay." Victoria sat back a bit and crossed her legs. "I just got back from Seattle. Amongst other things, I visited my parents. We spoke in depth about me having a soulmark, the interviews I've had thus far, things of that nature. They are incredibly pleased with my performance in said interviews and are privately delighted that their only daughter has a mark." She raised her left arm slightly to emphasize it.

Uncertain where Victoria was going with this but knowing she was expected to respond, Max cleared her throat. "And how do you feel, having a mark?"

"Truthfully? I'm torn. Before all of this, I already knew exactly where my life was headed. I knew what was expected of me, what I expected from myself, the steps I needed to accomplish to my goals, the probable hardships that I'd encounter along the way. For better or worse, I had a good chunk of my life planned out."

Victoria lifted her left arm. "And then, a week ago, this damn thing popped up. I had no idea what to think. How would a soulmate interfere with all my carefully laid plans? Would my soulmate understand my love of photography or ask me to quit? And what about having eleven others to compete with? How would that work?"

She shook her head. "I admitted all of this to my parents yesterday. They sat me down and told me that no matter what I wished to do with my other, if my other was ever found, they'd love and support me, and I certainly didn't have to reciprocate for their sake or any notions of prestige." She snorted. "I was so fucking shocked at that, it wasn't funny. I think my shock caught them off-guard, to the point that they canceled their evening plans to spend that time with me instead." Victoria took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It was good. To talk to them like that. It had been a while."

"I'm glad, then," Max said softly.

"I told them about you. Sort of," Victoria clarified. "I asked them, hypothetically, how would they feel if I had found my other, and if my other was a girl? They didn't even blink. They simply reiterated that reciprocation was my choice and I'd have to figure out how my plans for the future could or would incorporate a soulmate, or if such alterations would even be needed. All they asked is, if I did reciprocate, I didn't just quit school and join some hippie commune with all the others, sitting around a bonfire, smoking pot."

Max snorted at the mental image. "Not even Chloe would like that, I think."

"With as much as she smokes?" Victoria said with a blink. "We are talking about the same blue-haired punk, right?"

"We are," Max conceded, "but I also know that Chloe's done a lot better in her classes and does want to graduate, to have a better shot at making something of herself later. And, I doubt she'd be able to support Rachel and her dreams if she was stoned out of her mind, singing 'Kumbaya' off-key all the time."

"You make a valid point." Victoria then gave Max a small smile. "And I thought I told you not to make a habit of that."

"That was referencing me planning for the future, not fact-checking your assumptions," Max said with a smile.

"Fine, fine, whatever," Victoria replied with a short wave of her hand.

The pair fell into a companionable silence. Odd, when Max considered who, exactly, was currently keeping her company, but rather pleasant. Who knew that Victoria wasn't all bad?

"May I kiss you?"

Max blinked at the completely unexpected question. "What?"

Victoria rolled her eyes. "You. Me. Kiss." She motioned the air between them. "May I?"

Now, Max was blushing. "Um, you mean, reciprocate, right?"

"No. I mean, my lips on yours. An actual kiss."

Damnation, this wasn't helping Max's blush in the slightest. She fidgeted in her seat. "Why, though?"

"Because I don't want to reciprocate and have a soulbond resolve my question with some bullshit magic, that's why. So. May. I. Kiss. You?"

"Um." What in the fucking fuck was going on? Victoria asking if she could kiss her? For real?? But, if Max was honest with herself, she really didn't need to debate the matter. Victoria had always been physically attractive. It was her caustic attitude that made her ugly. But here? Now? With her being as nice (sorta) as she was?

There was only one answer.

"Yes."

Victoria nodded, like that was a given. "Okay." She planted both feet on the floor, straightened her back, and beckoned Max to her. "Come here, please," she requested in a soft voice.

Max, too frazzled to realize that Victoria hadn't actually voiced her question, stood and stepped close to blonde photographer, then nearly had a heart attack when, in one fluid motion, Victoria spread her legs, pulled Max close, then curled her calves behind Max's own, trapping her in place. She stood still, heart pounding, as Victoria reached up and carefully removed Max's hoodie, letting it fall to the floor. Her breath hitched when she felt Victoria's hands brush down her back, stopping just above her ass. She squeezed her thighs together, almost unconsciously. Holy hell, this was so hot!

_This_ is what Victoria wanted to know: did she turn Max on? She was pretty certain Max was at least bi but it was so damn hard to tell on a day to day basis. She never seemed to react to anyone with that sort of interest, guy or girl. But, being this close to Max, seeing how flushed her face was, how her eyes were glazing over, how her breath was quickening, it painted a pretty convincing picture. Which was a huge fucking relief. Her own attraction to the shy hipster was something she kept buried and buried deep, but once it was revealed that Max was her soulmate, Victoria absolutely had to know.

As for being this aggressive with Max? Well, she just liked to take charge, and seeing Max get so revved up by her actions was a massive turn-on. So, without further ado, Victoria reached up, locked her fingers behind Max's head, tugged her down, and kissed her.

Max was in heaven. Or was this hell? She didn't know and honestly, didn't have the mental fortitude to figure it out. She was swept up in the sensations of the kiss, so different than a reciprocation, and yet, so damn amazing. One small eternity later, she felt Victoria release her, and when she could finally think coherently, the first thing she said was, of course, "Wowsers."

Victoria snorted out a laugh. "'Wowsers?' Seriously? That's your reaction to getting kissed by the Queen of Blackwell herself?"

"Well," Max said, thinking quickly, "it's all I could think of. I mean, you're no Rachel." When Victoria's eyes narrowed dangerously, Max burst out laughing. "Oh, damn! You should see your face!"

After a moment, Victoria's lip curled up in a grin. "Okay, I'll admit that was a good one."

"Thank you," Max replied, getting the chuckles out of her system.

When she saw Max had regained her composure, Victoria motioned with her left arm. "Would you like to reciprocate my mark?"

Max smiled. "I'd consider it an honor."

Several minutes later found Max and Victoria laying side by side on Max's bed. If either of them gave their current position any thought, they'd admit it was more than a bit weird, especially considering their past. But, newly reciprocated soulmates that they were, the physical closeness felt quite natural.

Max held Victoria's left arm aloft and brushed a fingertip across the newly colored soulmark. What was once a black disc was now clearly a camera lens. "Your mark is different than the others," she said quietly.

"How so?"

"Usually, my mark appears behind and slightly to the side of everyone else's marks," Max explained, tapping the equivalent area on Victoria's wrist. "But on yours, I'm dead center of your camera lens."

"I suppose that's because you've been in my view for a while and now, you're my number one focus."

Max turned her head to look at Victoria, then smiled at the slight blush that grew on the blonde's face. "Really?"

"I'm not repeating myself, dammit," was Victoria's grumpy reply.

Giggling slightly, Max leaned in and gave Victoria a soft peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

Victoria cleared her throat. "You're welcome. Oh, by the way, you should be expecting Taylor and Courtney later on."

"Really?"

"Yes. We were discussing the subject of reciprocation on the drive back from Seattle. Once we decided we would, I asked them if I could go first, for a few reasons."

"Okay." Max blinked. "Wow. I really never thought that they would. But, hell, I never thought you and Brooke would, either. Goes to show you what I know."

"Let me guess: you figured that we all hated you and would never reciprocate."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Victoria sighed softly, then turned until she was on her side, facing Max. "I apologize. For my behavior before. I was a total bitch just because I was jealous of what you're capable of with that instant camera of yours. I actually thought you were pretty cool, hipster though you may be, since you never seemed to give a shit about whatever crap people slung at you. And, well, you were always pretty cute, too."

The kind words, coupled with their soulbond, was turning Max into a warm, gooey mess. "Thank you. For saying that, for apologizing. And, I forgive you."

"You fucking better," Victoria stated firmly. "Not like you can take back a reciprocation, after all. We're bonded, you and I. That means you're stuck with me."

"That also means you're stuck with me, too," Max countered. "So don't be surprised if you start listening to hipster indie music and wearing hoodies all the time."

Victoria blinked owlishly at that, then dragged a hand down her face. "God, just fucking shoot me now and be done with it."

Max's only response to that was to laugh.

* * *

Around 5:00, Stella, Kate, Brooke, Alyssa, and Max all had dinner in the cafeteria. While not the most prestigious of dining establishments, it was covered by their scholarships, meaning the price of $0.00 was perfect. Owing to the lower population of students on Sunday evenings, the selections were a bit sparse, consisting of sandwiches, hot dogs, and burgers (which Brooke referred to as "soylent green patties"), along with some fruits, salads, and bottled drinks, but it was more than enough.

As they ate, Max did notice something slightly amusing: Stella, Kate, and Brooke were, by complete coincidence, all wearing clothing with long sleeves, meaning their reciprocated marks were hidden from view, allowing them to escape unwanted scrutiny. And since it was all their normal attire, nothing about it stood out. She figured that the same thing would apply to Rachel and Chloe, if the latter was wearing her jacket, but wasn't certain about Victoria. Then again, she likely had an arsenal of long-sleeved blouses and sweaters to do the trick, so she was likely safe.

Not sure what was going to happen Monday, though. Hmm. Maybe she should discuss it with them later, see what they had planned.

Back in the dorms, Brooke and Stella broke off to finish various homework assignments while Max, Kate and Alyssa chilled out in Kate's room, while Alice bounced between the three, looking for treats. Out of respect for Alyssa, the subject of soulmates was avoided. She had already asked about it the previous day and was still debating whether she would reciprocate or not, something that Max completely understood. Instead, the three girls talked shop about both Photography and Life Drawing and what they wished to do with their skills in the future, as well as some of the sillier movies they'd seen most recently.

At some point, they started hearing a bit of a commotion from the hall. Their curiosity piqued, they made their way to Kate's door, then peeked outside. What they saw was... odd, to say the least. Right outside Max's door stood Juliet, Dana, Taylor, and Courtney. The two pairs of girls appeared to be in the midst of an intense debate, though what, exactly, was being discussed was difficult to discern as they were whispering. So engrossed in their discussion that they didn't realize they were being watched, until Alice, likely smelling something new and exciting, shot out from between Max and Kate's legs and into the hall.

"Alice!" Kate rushed out after her bunny, her shout interrupting the debate that was occurring. Fortunately, Alice didn't go too far, stopping halfway between both groups of girls, allowing allowed Kate to scoop her right up. "Naughty girl," she said nuzzling Alice close. "Rushing out like that. You're lucky this is a hall and not a yard."

"Aw!" Dana's heart melted at the adorable sight and approached Kate and Alice. "She just wanted to say 'hi,' didn't you?" She reached out a hand and, when Alice didn't object, gave the bunny a small scratch behind her ears. "Such a curious bunny, oh yes you are."

Courtney approached as well, having never seen Kate's pet up close. "Oh, she's so cute!" She looked to Kate, hand slightly raised. "May I?"

"Of course. Just, no sudden movements," Kate advised.

"Okay." Moving carefully, Courtney gave Alice a small pet. "Wow. She's so soft."

"She sure is," Dana agreed. "Whenever I visit, I do everything I can to get her into my lap. I'm only somewhat successful."

"What were you guys talking about?" Max asked, stepping up next to Kate.

"Oh!" Dana and Courtney shot each other a quick glance. "Nothing!"

"Nothing at all," Courtney agreed with a short nod.

Somehow, Max didn't believe them. She looked past them towards Taylor and Juliet, who hovering close by. "Are you sure it was nothing? Because it looked kind of intense."

Taylor and Juliet glanced at each other before the reporter sighed. "It was stupid."

"We were arguing about who would reciprocate with you next, that's all," Taylor admitted.

Max blinked. "Are you cereal?" she asked, looking between the four girls.

Dana looked a bit sheepish. "Like Jules said, it was stupid."

"If it was just two of us, we probably wouldn't have said anything," Courtney added. "Like, me and Dana or Taylor and Juliet. But all four of us? All at once?" She shrugged. "I swear it was like one of those Spaghetti Western movies."

Before Max could respond to that, she was suddenly hugged from behind and lifted right off the floor. "Hey!"

"Gotcha!" Chloe shouted triumphantly. "You gotta pay more attention to that, Maxaroni!"

"Put me down, you doof!" Max exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. When Chloe did so, Max turned and gave her a hug. "Back from your trip?"

"Yup!" Chloe stepped back and let Rachel give Max a hug as well. "Found the magazines I needed. Oh, and we also got you a couple you might like."

"Photography magazines," Rachel added when she stepped back. "But, we can't take the credit. Steph actually thought of it."

"Really?" Max asked, giving Steph a hug as well.

"Yeah," Steph said, taking a step back, then lifting the plastic bag in her hand. "I know we haven't gotten a chance to hang out too much so I figured this might be a good way to break the ice?"

"Thanks so much!" Max had a sudden thought and rolled with it. "If you're not doing anything, we can totally hang out right now."

Steph broke out into a bright smile, not seeing when four girls blinked in shock. "That sounds awesome, actually. My room?"

Max nodded. "I'll meet you there in just a minute."

Nodding, Steph made her way down the hall and around the corner, Chloe and Rachel right behind. Dana waited for them to get out of earshot round the corner before shaking her head slowly, a rueful smile on her face. "Damn, girl."

"What?" Max asked, still smiling. "Now, you'll have all the time in the world to argue."

Courtney laughed. "Clever, clever! I wouldn't have thought it possible for you to do something so sneaky."

"Well, as I like to say to Victoria, I have my moments." She looked between the four girls in question. "You'll be okay, right? Still friends?"

"Of course," Taylor said. "Like we said, it was just a silly argument. Nothing personal."

"We're good, Max," Juliet stated, then put a hand on Max's shoulder. "Promise."

* * *

Hanging out with Steph, Rachel, and Chloe was much different than hanging out with Kate, Alyssa, and Stella. For one, the jokes tended to be way more suggestive. For another, sometimes the three would pass around a joint (Max always declined). Tonight was drug-free, though, since Steph disallowed Chloe and Rachel from lighting up in her dorm. So instead, the three kept Max entertained with anecdotes of previous D&D and Pathfinder games.

Max clutched her stomach, laughing. "You did not!"

"Oh, yes I did," Rachel said with a grin. "Natural 20 to seduce golem standing guard. When Steph explained an additional appendage emerged from the golem's crotch area, I thought Mikey was going to have a conniption."

"Totally worked, though," Chloe added. "Kept the golem completely distracted while he picked the lock on the door, then got us through."

"What happened next?"

"I implied that the golem wouldn't take too well to being teased," Steph stated with a smirk, "meaning that Rachel had to keep up the act. Or else."

"And I did," Rachel said with a toss of her hair. She grinned at Max. "Pretty sure the wizard of that keep was pissed about the whole thing, though we never found out if he was more pissed we stole that magic shield or that he didn't get seduced instead."

"Damn." Max wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're okay with roleplaying stuff like that?" she asked, looking between all three of her friends.

"Yup!" Chloe smirked. "I thought it was funny as shit when Rachel started using her wits and feminine wiles to get in and out of danger. Mikey? He was the one getting embarrassed but learned to ignore it."

"I found it challenging, in a good way, to come up with scenarios and responses to Rachel's numerous seduction checks," Steph explained. "And, it was a nice change of pace to Chloe's tactic of constantly punching people in the dick."

Max resettled in her beanbag chair. "Okay, I have to know: are there actually seduction rules in D&D?"

Steph shook her head. "Not really. So, I tend to wing it. In fact, I tend to wing a lot of things in my games. Rigidly following the rules just isn't my style so I let them," she nodded towards Chloe and Rachel, "get away with a lot of things for the sake of the overall adventure."

"Don't forget the custom GM rules!" Rachel said with a grin.

Max blinked as Steph actually blushed a bit. "The what now?"

"Allow me," Chloe stated, then theatrically cleared her throat. "One night a while back, we were in the middle of another session when Rachel, playing a thief, totally fumbled walking along a tight rope. We're talking a 60 foot drop onto a cobblestone street. No chance of survival. Rachel was panicking, Steph was hemming and hawing, then I said something like, 'Well, why not seduce the GM like you do everything else?'" She shrugged at Max's snort of amusement. "In my defense, I was kind of high."

"We all were," Rachel said, "which is why it sounded like a perfect solution to the problem. So, yeah, I crawl right over to Steph, push her to the ground, and start kissing the shit out of her."

Steph picked up the story from there. "TMI: some strains of weed makes me a bit horny. And as luck would have it, this was one of those strains. So, there I am, a bit high, a bit horny, and there's this smokin' hot blonde pressing her entire body against me, wanting to play a round tonsil tennis. Not my girl, no, but I'm in no condition to shove her off."

Chloe snickered. "This goes on for about a minute before Rachel climbs off and asks, "Good enough?'"

"It was actually, 'Was that enough to not fail the check?'" Rachel corrected. "Needless to say, Steph agreed."

"Later," Steph stated, "when I was convinced that Chloe wasn't going to murder me in my sleep, I confessed that I really, really liked that. They both did, too. It's become a bit of a house rule-slash-running joke ever since."

"Wow." Max looked between the three girls again but didn't see any discomfort or ill feelings. "Can I ask if that rule was ever used again?"

"Twice more," Steph answered. "Once for Rachel, who failed a saving throw against an acid pit trap, and once for Chloe, whose hand exploded after she tried punching a planar demon in the crotch."

"I still say you did that on purpose, you horn dog," Chloe accused.

"I did no such thing," Steph protested. "First, your dick-punching antics were being spread far and wide, so your target knew in advance what to expect. And second, I specifically told you it was a demon from the realm of explosions. What'd you think was going to happen?"

Everyone had a good laugh at that, then Steph turned to Max. "Seducing the GM aside, I want you to know that I love these two girls so damn much. I've never had such good friends as them. Ever. There's not a damn thing I wouldn't do for them and I know they have my back, too."

"Yeah." Max turned to the pair, smiling warmly. "I feel the same way and that was even before we reciprocated. I love you guys."

Rachel and Chloe both smiled at that, their eyes glistening. "Fuck you both," Chloe complained as she buried her face into Rachel's shoulder. "You can't just say sappy shit like that without warning a girl first."

Max and Steph snickered at that. Then, realizing she had the perfect segue, Steph climbed out of her own beanbag chair and knelt at Max's side. "They've been telling me about their soulbond with you, how it feels, that warmth, that comfort." She cleared her throat. "They compared it to their love for one another, and their love for me, just scaled up. I'd love to have that with you, too, so, if you'll have me, I'd love to reciprocate with you."

"I..." Max sat up and smiled at Steph, bright and free. "Of course. Thank you."

"No, Max," Steph said, reaching forward with her left arm. "Thank you. For saying yes."

* * *

When Max left Steph's room some time later (she and the others spent a lot of time just cuddled together, basking in their bond), she was halfway expecting to see Dana, Juliet, Taylor, and Courtney outside her door again. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised to see a new message on her board that read, "We love you! Still friends, promise!" and was signed by all four girls. Max found herself smiling, touched by the sweet gesture.

"They decided to wait until tomorrow to ask."

Max turned and saw Victoria leaning against her open doorway, decked out for bed. "Did they say how come?"

"A couple of reasons," Victoria replied, stepping forward. "First, it's getting a bit late and they didn't want to try cramming four reciprocations back to back in the time that's left. To do so, they felt, would cheapen the whole thing."

"That makes sense," Max said with a nod. "And the second?"

"I pointed out that you've had seven in the past three days and, even if the act isn't physically exhausting for you, it might be overwhelming in other ways. I advised them to spread them out a bit more." Victoria smirked. "I'd bet you decent money that they're texting each other now, trying to come up with a schedule or pecking order."

"No bet," Max replied. She felt an urge to give Victoria a hug and decided not to fight it. She took a step towards the blonde and smiled when Victoria, without prompting, opened her arms and gathered Max into a warm embrace. They held each other close for several long moments.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Victoria let go and stepped back. "You have a good night."

"You, too."

* * *

It was close to midnight when Max woke from a dead sleep. She felt a slight pang in her chest...?

No, not her chest.

Her soul.

Her soulmate was troubled.

Nightmare?

She needed to help.

Max slid from her bed and left her room, padding down the hall quietly, until she stopped right outside her other's door.

She knocked softly, then waited.

Several moments later, the door opened and Stella appeared.

Distraught.

No words were spoken. None were needed.

Max stepped forward and wrapped Stella into a warm embrace.

Accepting. Caring.

Loving.

Stella sniffed and held on tight. It was an old, familiar nightmare but never failed to wake her, to stop her from sleeping through the night.

But perhaps not anymore.

When Stella calmed down, she gave Max a wet smile of thanks, which was returned. Then, Max took her by the hand and led her back to bed. They took a moment to get cleaned up, then, slipped under the covers, Max acting as big spoon.

Stella sighed, content.

This. This was good.

She glanced at her left wrist, her mark barely visible in the darkened room, and thanked whatever god existed for gifting her this bond.

Her soulmate was here. And it was good.

A minute later, they were both sound asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowsers! This went on for quite a long time. In fact, I'm not done yet! But, then I realized this chapter's word count was nearing the other three chapters combined, I had to break it up into two parts.
> 
> I had a ton of fun writing these scenes. In fact, I mentioned this on my Tumblr page but at some point, I started thinking of these less as separate scenes but rather mini-dates between Max and all the various girls. I just hope nothing comes across as too terribly OOC.
> 
> One more chapter to go! And this time, I'm fairly certain I mean it. ;-)


	5. Reciprocation, part 2, the beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so everyone has constantly told me not to apologize for length, so this time I won't. I'll just warn you that this "chapter" wound up hitting 24k words. That's double the word count of chapter 4, which was already longer than the other three chapters combined! So, I had to break it up into three smaller segments. I hope you don't mind!
> 
> On my Tumblr page, I explained that there's a certain amount of pressure that's lifted from your shoulders when you just say "fuck length" and just type, and that's precisely what happened. By the time I was about 75% done with the chapter, I decided I wasn't going to trim anything. I liked the flow way too much to cut anything.
> 
> My goal for this chapter was to ramp up the cute, the romantic, and the warm fuzzies, in not just the reciprocations themselves but also the bridge scenes that connected them. I really hope I succeeded!

A soft buzzing noise pulled Max from a rather pleasant dream, though the details were already fading away. She blinked as she felt someone shift beneath her arm. It wasn't until the phone alarm was silenced that remembered she wasn't actually in her room or bed, but in Stella's instead. She smiled softly to herself. "How'd you sleep?" she whispered, her voice rough. She felt Stella take a slow, deep breath, then let it out.

"Like a rock." Stella took another deep breath and let it out again, then, because she wanted more, shuffled backwards a smidgen. She smiled when Max tightened her hold around her waist and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Max felt an urge to kiss the back of Stella's neck and, finding no reason not to, did exactly that. She smiled, feeling a tiny spark of... something through their bond. "What time is it?"

"About 7:30. Normally I sleep a bit later but I have an interview at 8:30 and wanted to grab some breakfast first."

"Gonna shower, then?"

"No. I actually shower in the evenings. Fewer people around means fewer potential witnesses if there's an accident."

"I understand." Max relaxed her grip around Stella's waist. "You want me to leave, then? Give you some privacy while you change?"

Stella considered that, then slowly nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

Max shook her head. "Don't be. Just because we're soulmates doesn't mean that suddenly we're comfortable with everything all at once. We'll take things at whatever pace you need, and if you never get comfortable enough to change in front of me, that's perfectly fine, too."

"Thank you." Stella sat up in bed, then turned to face Max. "It won't be forever, though, I promise. I do want to share everything about myself to you, my soulmate." She smiled. "Thank you for being patient."

"Of course," Max replied as she sat up as well, then entwined her fingers with Stella's. "Whatever you need."

The two sat together in companionable silence for several moments, holding hands, enjoying each other's company. Then, Stella cleared her throat. "Max?"

"Yes?"

Stella leaned in a bit closer to Max. "May I kiss you?"

"I was hoping you'd ask," was Max's reply as she leaned forward as well.

It wasn't the Earth-shattering kiss seen in movies, with birds singing and flower petals floating by and stringed instruments playing in the background. But it was incredibly sweet and absolutely perfect. When the two separated, their smiles were brighter than the morning sun.

"See you at lunch."

"Until then."

* * *

Despite waking in someone else's bed earlier, Max's morning routine didn't change. She still took her shower, brushed her teeth, all that normal morning stuff. There was, however, one small addition to her routine that she absolutely didn't mind one bit: kisses! Nearly all her reciprocated soulmates who she saw either in the restroom or in the hall would give her a good morning kiss on either her cheek or lips, and dog, it was wonderful. Even Victoria, though she did check for potential witnesses before actually doing so, which didn't bother Max one bit. She knew all this was going to take some getting used to and was happy to give everyone the time and space they needed.

Monday mornings meant the resurgence of classes and World History and Algebra were the first. Thankfully, there were no surprises, if Max didn't count Dana greeting her warmly first period and Courtney doing the same second. She found both gestures equally nice, though she wondered how Courtney's might be perceived to outsiders. After all, having a member of the Vortex Club and Victoria's personal lackey (the rumor mill was quite unkind in that regard) suddenly being chummy with a nobody like Max was bound to attract attention. Max herself was a pro at ignoring gossip and hoped that Courtney would be able to weather whatever storm came from it.

Lunch was... different. Word had evidently gotten out that some of her soulmates' marks had been reciprocated and as a result, her usual table was swarmed with at least a dozen curious onlookers, all hoping to see Kate, Brooke, and Stella's marks for themselves. Max briefly wondered who might've said something when she realized it was impossible to keep this under wraps. Stella's interviewer could've requested another look at the mark. A student could've seen Brooke's mark in gym. Chloe likely took her jacket off at some point. There were any number of ways people could've seen their marks so now, for better or worse, everyone had to ride out the wave of renewed interest.

As Max stood in line to get her lunch, she kept an eye on her table and was pleased to see everyone who wanted a peek was at least being respectful about it and weren't invading her girls' personal space. A glance across the room showed that no added attention was being placed on Victoria, the blonde's fierce rep apparently working as a pretty decent shield. Over at another table, things were decidedly different as Rachel, Chloe, and Steph all displayed their reciprocated marks with pride and appeared to be fielding questions from several students. No reporters, though, which was good. That meant they were keeping to their designated times and zones like they should. That just left one question on Max's mind:

Where the hell was she supposed to sit and eat?

A soft hand on her elbow interrupted her internal debate. She turned and saw Dana to her left, smiling. "Looks like your normal table's a bit full, so why don't you join me and Jules? We're eating outside to get some fresh air."

Max smiled in relief. "That'd be awesome. Thanks."

It wasn't everyday that Max ate outside but it certainly was a beautiful day for it and her company was great. She, Dana, and Juliet chatted about everything and nothing, as friends do, covering such diverse subjects as the latest movies, the upcoming dance, stuff like that. As they ate, though, Max wondered why the two weren't actually sitting with their other friends on the cheerleading team or whatnot, and so asked about it.

"Normally we would but today's anything but normal," Juliet stated with a smile. "We told the everyone we wanted some me-time to talk about the interviews we've been having and chat about soulmarks and who our other might be."

"They nearly didn't let us go, though," Dana added. "Because word's spread that some of us have reciprocated, they were dying for any juicy deets on who our other might me."

"We deflected as best we could, saying we had our suspicions but nothing concrete, but that didn't convince some of them." Juliet shrugged. "We had to remind them that soulmarks don't confer telepathic powers and didn't give us the ability to magically know who our other is, just gives us vague impressions from time to time. We were able to slip free after that but I have a feeling that at least one or two are going to try pulling a Nancy Drew and dig deeper for more info."

Max finished her bite and took a sip of OJ. "I figured the reporters would try that."

Juliet nodded. "Oh, they're absolutely going to. But, they can't stick around campus after classes as easily as students can. And it's a lot easier for a student to wander into the dorms than it is a researcher or reporter."

"True." Max blinked as a thought occurred to her. "What are you going to say if people ask why you invited me to eat with you today?"

"Easy," Dana replied. "I'm going to tell them you're my friend and your table was so crowded that you couldn't eat in your regular spot, so I invited you outside, away from everyone. Totally true so it should work."

"And I'm going to tell everyone that I've hired you to spy in the girls' dorm, to try and snap a photo of this hidden soulmate who's been skulking around, kissing marks." Juliet grinned when Max burst out laughing. "Totally believable."

"It definitely is," Max agreed with a smile.

The 5-minute warning bell sounded, alerting the three that lunch was over and class would be starting soon. Everyone stood and gathered up their belongings and trash, Dana giving Max a one-armed hug at the same time. "See you after class, okay?"

"Sure thing."

* * *

Math Lab, as usual, was boring as hell. The only thing she noticed that was out of the ordinary was Courtney keeping to herself rather than gossiping with her friends. Max didn't think it was because she was too focused on the lesson (Courtney had bragged before about how numbers were super easy for her) but was likely deep in thought about her soulmark, if her constant glances to her left wrist were any indication. Max wondered if that meant she was having second thoughts about reciprocating, despite what Victoria had told her yesterday.

Photography held one surprise. Once the class had finished with their group discussion of everyone's weekend assignment (Max and the others sharing a bit about their trip to the World Forestry Center), Mr. Jefferson brought up a tentative new assignment. "We have before us an unprecedented opportunity, a chance of a lifetime, if you will. Five out of eight students right here in this class possess a rather rare gift: a soulmark." He looked around the class to Alyssa, Victoria, Taylor, Stella, and Kate. "With your five's permission, and only with your unanimous permission, I'd like to alter the next assignment, evocation of the spirit, just a bit to instead focus on you."

The class glanced around, looking curious. Victoria raised her hand. "Why now, though? Why not last week when the marks first showed up?"

"Glad you asked. Three reasons. First, I still have a class itinerary to follow and I didn't want to disrupt it. Second, this upcoming assignment is one of the easiest to modify to include the subject of soulmates. And last, as a photographer, you should always be ready to capture the rare, unusual, provocative, or anything that speaks to you." Mr. Jefferson smiled. "I don't know about you but I consider soulmarks to be all of the above."

Kate raised her hand this time. "And what would our assignment be, exactly, compared to what it was going to be?"

"Fortunately, the assignment would be practically the same. The original assignment would be to find a subject, whether a peer or teacher or someone else, and attempt to evoke an emotional response from them and capture that moment on film. Now, I'd like the subject of the photo to be on our resident soulmark bearers instead."

Stella shot her hand up. "If it's okay, can we step outside and discuss this for a minute or two?"

"I'll do one better," Mr. Jefferson replied. "Since we're at our halfway point in class, I'll step out and give you time to discuss things here. I need to get a couple of things from the Media room anyway."

"Thank you, Mr. Jefferson," Taylor said with a smile.

"Certainly. Just be aware that this assignment won't be due until Thursday rather than tomorrow, to give everyone a chance to get their photos done. I'll be back in a bit." He stopped at the door and turned to the class. "Don't break anything while I'm gone," he added with a smirk, then walked away.

As soon as Mr. Jefferson was gone, Stella shot out of her seat and waved to Kate and Alyssa to join her at Victoria's table and soon, they were embroiled in a deep but whispered conversation about Mr. Jefferson's proposal. While that was happening, Hayden pulled out his phone and started surfing the net, Daniel flipped open his drawing pad and started on a new sketch, and Max was doing her level best not to stare at her soulmates. No one yet knew that she was the axis and, while appreciative that the others were maintaining her cover, she couldn't help but feel a bit left out.

A moment later, her phone vibrated. Curious, Max unlocked it and read her newest text message.

**Kate**  
Sorry you can't be with us now!

Max smiled slightly, then typed out her response.

**Me**  
No worries! I completely understand why and I really appreciate it, too.

**Kate**  
What do you think of Mr. Jefferson's idea? Because we've decided we're not saying yes unless you say yes, too.

**Me**  
I was actually thinking it was a pretty interesting idea, though I don't know how he's going to pair us up.

**Kate**  
Victoria says that Mr. Jefferson might pull in students from his other Photography class as well, give them the same assignment, so there's likely to be overlap.

**Me**  
Makes sense. And I'm all for the idea but only if everyone taking photos is respectful about it. "Evoking an emotional response" is pretty broad, after all, and I don't want you guys to suffer at the hands of idiots.

**Kate**  
Aw! There you go, watching out for us again.

**Me**  
Always and forever.

Max set her phone down and was struck with an idea that was simultaneously heartfelt and mischievous. Deciding to go for it, she closed her eyes and focused on that warm feeling deep within that came from her soulbonds. She thought of each of her soulmates, how fortunate she felt to have twelve, how wonderful it was to have seven already reciprocate, the love she felt growing for each. She brought to mind that sense of joy she felt from said reciprocations and did her best to pour that sensation through her bonds.

A quiet gasp and the clatter of a pencil being dropped made Max blink her eyes open. She looked to the group of five and saw that they all had turned in her direction, varying degrees of happy shock on their faces. A moment later, Taylor mock-frowned at her, crumpled up a piece of paper, and let it fly. Max managed to catch the ball of paper before it struck her in the nose, a wide grin on her face, but before anyone else could retaliate, Mr. Jefferson walked back in, a couple of cardboard tubes in hand.

"Have you ladies made a decision?" he asked, laying the tubes down on his desk.

"We have," Victoria stated, speaking for the group. "So long as the 'evoking an emotional response' portion is kept respectful, we don't mind the change to the assignment."

Mr. Jefferson clapped his hands together. "Excellent news! I'll leave it up to you and the rest of the class to pair up as your schedules will allow. Oh, and I nearly forgot, I'm going to invite the students from my other Photography class to participate in this modified assignment as well. Will that be acceptable?"

"We anticipated that you might, and yes, it is."

"Again, excellent." Mr. Jefferson reached over, grabbed one of the tubes, then popped off the end cap. "Now, if you would, return to your seats, and let's discuss the works of Henri-Cartier Bresson."

As the everyone settled back in their seats, Max caught the sly wink from Alyssa and gave her a small grin in return. Their bond wasn't as pronounced as the ones she reciprocated with but Max could still feel echoes of her amusement.

* * *

As Max and everyone expected, once classes were finished for the day, there was a flurry of activity from researchers and reporters alike. The sudden influx of visitors wasn't overwhelming, however, thanks to all the advanced planning from Blackwell's faculty and staff. They had been forewarned by DA James Amber, who, in turn, was informed by his daughter, Rachel, of Saturday's developments.

(There was simply no way Rachel was going to be able to keep her reciprocated mark a secret for very long, so she opted to inform all three of her parents Sunday afternoon, though she begged them to keep the identity of her other secret for now. Which they agreed to, once they finished celebrating, crying, and hugging the living shit out of their beloved daughter.)

For once, Max didn't immediately head back to the dorms to wait things out. Instead, she hung around inside the main building but away from the Photography class and Science lab, where all the interviews and whatnot were taking place. She didn't want to be too far from them and hoped that her distance from the proceedings would mean she'd be left alone. Several minutes later, her hope was dashed when Principal Wells and security personnel did a sweep to clear the halls.

"No loitering, Miss Caulfield," Principal Wells stated in his patented "I'm trying to sound sympathetic and failing miserably" voice. "Normally, we don't mind students in the main building after class but with all that's happening, those twelve girls deserve whatever privacy we can muster. You'll have to wait outside until they're finished."

Mentally shrugging, Max nodded. "Okay."

"Ray."

Principal Wells turned at the voice, his face already breaking out into a smile. "James. How can I help you?"

DA James Amber approached the pair, a friendly smile on his face. "I was hoping for a moment of Miss Caulfield's time, actually. She's a good friend of Rachel's and has been a huge help keeping her steady throughout this rather interesting time."

"Of course," Principal Wells agreed easily. "Max is one of our star photographers and shows great promise. And I'm delighted to hear she's been such rock for your daughter."

"Thank you, Ray."

Max waited for Principal Wells to head back towards his office. "Thank you, Mr. Amber," she said quietly.

"You're welcome." He and Max made their way down the hall towards the two class rooms where all the activity was taking place. "How are you feeling, Max?"

"I'm doing well, Mr. Amber." Max cleared her throat. "How are you and, um, everyone else doing?"

"The family's doing quite well, thank you." He turned and gave Max a smile. "Though for obvious reasons, the excitement level's been up in the household."

"I can imagine." Max and he continued past the entrances to both rooms until they reached the end of the hall, then came to a stop. "Is that a good thing?"

"Unexpected, but good. My only child, bearing a soulmark. It's amazing. There's simply no other word to describe it." He tapped his ear, then pointed to the nearby stairwell doors. "So far, she has declined to inform us the identity of her other," he flat-out lied, "despite us asking repeatedly. Vexing, but Rachel's always had a rebellious streak." He gave Max a small smile. "As her friend, I don't suppose you can shed some light on the mystery? Just between you and me, of course."

Max played along and shook her head. "Sorry. She hasn't given me a name, either."

James sighed and nodded. "I figured as much. Rachel's always treasured her secrets, even the most innocuous ones. She likely wants to keep this one close to her heart for as long as possible." He stepped away from the wall and started back towards the two classes, Max falling in step beside him. "I did advise her that a secret this big won't stay secret for very long, however, and to be prepared for the inevitable storm that follows."

"You'll help them, though, right?" Max turned to Mr. Amber. "Rachel and everyone, and her mysterious other, when they're revealed?"

James paused at the entrance to the Science lab and turned to Max, giving her a confident smile. "Absolutely. For as long as I'm able."

Max smiled, relieved. "That's good to know. Thank you, Mr. Amber."

"You're welcome, Max."

* * *

Fortunately for all the girls, everything was wrapped up in about an hour, meaning the cafeteria was still open for dinner. Apparently, Principal Wells had insisted that the various reporters and whatnot stagger out their renewed interviews over the next few days rather than try to cram everyone in all at once. Max figured he was being thoughtful. Victoria, however, had a different interpretation.

"I'm pretty sure he didn't want to foot another food bill like last the pizza party last week," she said, taking a sip from her water bottle. "Half of us are here on scholarships, which covers meals. The other half, the meals are part of tuition. So, if we miss a meal thanks to a school-sanctioned event, which these interviews fall under, they have to make up for it."

"Whatever works," Stella said as she finished a bite. "I'm just happy to eat."

"Same," Max said, then turned to Victoria. "Though I'm a bit surprised to see you eating here. Don't you normally travel outside for dinner?"

Victoria gave a small shrug. "What can I say? Sometimes I feel like slumming it."

Taylor hunched forward and lowered her voice. "What she means to say is she felt like staying close to her soulmate but is too embarrassed to actually say that out loud." She gave Victoria a knowing look, then yelped when her friend jammed a finger into her ribs.

"Shut your whore mouth," Victoria hissed. Her fierce glare was somewhat blunted by the redness on her cheeks.

Kate reached across the table to give Victoria's free hand a soft pat. "Trust me, no one is judging you. Not when all of us can empathize."

"But maybe we shouldn't discuss the details too much," Brooke added, taking a glance around. "We're nearly alone here, sure, but even the lunch ladies have eyes and ears. And who knows if one of them have been approached by one of the skeevier reporters."

"I think something like that happened earlier," Max stated, "when I was chatting with Mr. Amber in the main building. We were at the end of the hall, near one of the exits, and he indicated that someone was just on the other side of the door, listening in. That's when he deliberately asked if Rachel told me the identity of her other." She smiled. "I told him she never gave me a name."

Rachel grinned. "Smart. Because, technically, I never did." There was no need for her to reveal the name of her other _to_ her other, after all. "But, since we can't be too careful and we're all done here, why don't we head back to the dorms?"

Courtney nodded. "Sounds good to me. Soulmates aside, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has plenty of homework on her plate."

The girls did exactly that and soon, everyone was back at the dorm, most of whom got started on their various assignments. To absolutely no one's surprise, Max's room became something of a hub as each of her reciprocated soulmates took turns reading and studying quietly in her room, wanting nothing more than to be physically close to her. Ordinarily, such company might've bothered Max a bit since she tended to concentrate better when alone but instead found their presence warm and soothing.

It was wonderful.

It was around 7:15 that things got... interesting, starting with higher than normal activity in the hall: multiple doors opening and closing, constant footsteps up and down the hall, and a lot more music being played. Max exchanged confused glances with Brooke and Stella, seated on her couch and bed, respectively, before all three rose and stepped outside Max's dorm.

What they saw made them blink. Nearly every room door was open wide with a few girls loitering in the hall. As Max watched, she saw Taylor and Courtney exit Dana's room and glance their way. "Stella!"

"Yeah?"

Taylor waved her over. "Come here a sec, need your help."

Uncertain what was happening but getting the impression it was important, Stella looked to Max. "I suppose I'll be back in a minute."

"Sure thing." Max reached over and gave Stella's hand a soft squeeze. "I'll be right here for you when you're done."

The care and love in Max's voice turned Stella's insides into goo and she smiled. "Thanks." Then, acting on impulse, she leaned over and gave Max a quick kiss. "See you soon."

As Stella made her way down the hall, Victoria stepped from her doorway and smiled at the dopey look on Max's face. "Never thought I'd see the day that Max Caulfield would be so smooth."

"Oh, hush," Max said, trying and failing to keep from smiling widely. "In case it wasn't obvious, I'm still getting used to all of this, all the quiet urges, getting a sense of what everyone needs from me at any particular moment, all of it."

"It's not overwhelming, though, is it?" Victoria asked, suddenly concerned. "I keep forgetting that while we have one mark, you have twelve."

Max's quiet smile allayed Victoria's fear. "So far, it's been perfect. And it's not like I'm getting telepathic thoughts or anything. More like, I get a sense of when someone wants a kiss or needs to cuddle, or just needs some quiet time. Impressions, really. That's why my door's been open for everyone tonight."

"And speaking of open doors, what's the deal?" Brooke asked, looking up and down the hall.

"Rachel got a text from Justin who said that a few girls from the cheerleading team have been visiting the boys downstairs," Victoria explained. "No big deal, right? Zach and Logan are on the football team, as well as a few others, and visits are expected. But he also said they were, and I quote, 'dolled up, like they were looking to party.' That threw up a couple of red flags."

"How so?" Max asked.

"For starters, why now and not before? What's the special occasion? No one has birthdays lined up, it isn't the weekend, and the Vortex party isn't until Thursday. Answer: there is none, unless you consider that today, seven girls suddenly showed up in class with reciprocated soulmarks."

"Ah!" Brooke smirked. "You think they're spies."

"Exactly. Principal Wells, along with the DA team, scolded the faculty pretty harshly, but there's really no way to stop the students from digging for info, either for themselves or for any reporters looking for a leg-up on their competition. We figure the girls are looking for any guy with soulmarks but, when that inevitably fails, they'll be coming up here to dig for info."

"Juliet mentioned this exact scenario at lunch," Max said. "But, they won't be able to get into the girls' dorm at all. You have to have a key to unlock the stairwell door after 5 o'clock since security locks it."

"True, but who's really going to stop a non-resident friend from coming upstairs, wanting to hang out?" Victoria asked rhetorically. "We let people in practically everyday. The only real way to keep them out is to not open the door for anyone, and that'll raise suspicions. We're doing it anyway, though, which means that, depending on how desperate they get, they might resort to actually using their brain."

"Anyone downstairs can hear us moving around," Alyssa stated as she stepped over to join the small group. "That's always been the case, though, and the price of being in an older two-story building. But that also means if anyone downstairs is paying attention, they might be able to figure out who's moving to what room. And if, come tomorrow, more people show up with reciprocated marks, they might be able to figure out who's actually doing the reciprocating before you're ready to expose yourself," she said to Max.

Who blinked. "You really think they could?"

"Warren could, easily," Brooke stated, "especially if one of the cheerleaders sat in his lap and asked nicely."

Alyssa and Max both snorted at the mental image while Victoria rolled her eyes. "Boys are so weak."

"Oh, please," Alyssa said with a grin. "Like you wouldn't do anything Max asked if she dressed in a cheerleader outfit, straddled your lap, and batted her baby blues at you."

This time, Brooke snorted out a laugh while Victoria and Max both blushed a bit.

"What's the joke?" Dana asked as she and most of the others joined them.

"Tell you later," Alyssa replied with a wave of her hand. "All done?"

Juliet nodded. "Except Brooke's room, yeah."

"What do you need from me, then?" asked the girl in question.

"Just hop over to your room, close your blinds, crank up something on your stereo or TV, then wander a bit," Taylor said. "Visit whatever room but don't linger too much. Keep whoever might be listening in guessing."

"And don't go through anyone's stuff," Courtney added.

"She wouldn't," Max answered automatically. "People's complaints about her drone not withstanding, Brooke has a fine appreciation for privacy and would never snoop."

Everyone glanced at Max, surprised that she would say that so quickly and confidently. Then, it occurred to them: duh, they were soulmates! Of course Max would know that.

Brooke couldn't help the warm, nearly sappy smile that grew on her face when Max defended her. "Thanks. I'll go take care of that now."

As she walked to her room, Max turned to the others. "So, where does that leave us?"

Taylor turned to Dana and Courtney, then back to Max. "Unfortunately, I'm thinking our timetable's been moved up a bit. A couple of us were hoping for a more romantic setting for a reciprocation, but by tomorrow, we're going to have even more eyes on us than ever before. Privacy outside of the dorm is going to be in short supply and even in the dorms, it'll likely be tricky."

Which was true. "Sorry, everyone," Max said with a slight shake of her head.

"Not your fault," Dana stated emphatically. "So don't even try to apologize."

"It is what it is," Courtney said with a shrug. "But, considering what's likely going to happen tomorrow if even one more of us reciprocates, we figure, as long as you're willing, we'd like to do them tonight."

"All five of you, right?" Max asked, turning to all her unreciprocated soulmates.

Juliet nodded. "Yeah. We've been texting and talking for a bit now and agreed it's for the best."

"This also means that you're going to be under even more scrutiny," Alyssa said to Max, "but I have an idea for that. I'll run it by you when you're done with everyone else, since I called dibs on going last."

"Okay." Max glanced towards her room, then back to the girls. "I get the impression that no one wants to just line up in my room, one by one, and have me kiss their marks like we're in a factory."

Taylor grinned. "You got that right! I actually have an idea for mine that I need Victoria's help with, so let me borrow her for a minute." She looked to her friend, who nodded and led the way back to her room.

"Prescott Dormitories may not be the most romantic of places," Courtney said when the pair stepped away, "but that doesn't mean I can't make my dreams come true in other ways. If you come by my room in, say, an hour, I'll be ready. And here," she said, handing Max a note folded in half. "If you can. If you can't, though, no worries."

Intrigued, Max took the note and, when she received a nod from Courtney, opened and read it. Then smiled. "I'll do everything I can, though I might need a bit of help?"

"Whatever you can do, I'll love it all the same." Courtney gave her a bright smile. "See you in a bit."

Alyssa watched her go, then turned back to Max. "Are you allowed to share?"

"Yeah." Max flipped the note around and showed the girls the simple message written inside: Please be my Prince Charming. "I'm getting the impression that she wants to be swept off her feet. But since I'm not quite sure how, I figured I'd ask for help. Any ideas?"

Dana's eyes lit up. "Oh, hell yes! Alyssa, you doing anything right now?"

"Not really," was Alyssa's reply.

"Perfect. You can give me a hand." Dana then turned to Max. "Mind if I dig through your wardrobe, see about putting together the perfect outfit that'll make Courtney swoon? I know her tastes and can figure out what'll work."

Max grinned at Dana's enthusiasm. "I doubt you'll find anything but sure, be my guest."

Dana reached up and cupped Max's cheek in one hand. "Leave it to me, my future beloved. I'll get you that look, promise." She grinned at Max's blush, then turned to Alyssa. "Ready to do this thing?"

"Why not?" Alyssa replied with a grin. "Sounds like fun."

Max watched them enter her room and then turned to Juliet. "I guess I know who won the coin toss," she said.

"Less coin toss and more fierce thumb wrestling tournament." Juliet grinned at Max's laugh. "It was a lot of fun."

"I'm glad," Max said as she and Juliet made their way down the hall. As they walked, Max finally noticed something hanging on the exit door. "You covered up the window?"

"Yeah," Juliet said with a nod. "Even though the window's one of those privacy panes that warps everything, anyone really dedicated might be able to discern movement from room to room. So, we decided to cover it and all the hall windows, too."

Max turned and saw a sheet of poster board covering the far hall window. She figured the other windows were covered similarly. "You really think someone would steal Samuel's ladder and climb to the second floor to sneak a peek?" she asked, pointing to the windows.

"For the scoop of the century? Hell yes. I know I would. Well," Juliet backpedaled, "better to say, I would have. I don't think I have it in me to be like that again, not after this past week."

"Which can only be a good thing," Max stated, taking Juliet's hand in hers and giving it a soft squeeze, who returned the gesture with a smile.

The two had just about reached Juliet's room when they saw Alice bounce out of Dana's, followed quickly by Kate. The blonde girl gave the two a small wave and smile. "Hey, Max, Juliet."

"Hey, yourself." Juliet smiled as Alice sat back on her haunches, sniffing the air. "Exploring?"

"It's such a great time for it," Kate replied. "Alice is such a curious bunny and since it's play time right now, I figured it be fun to get out for a bit. I already asked and no one objected, so we're out seeing the huge world that's the girls' floor."

Max crouched down and reached out a hand, letting Alice sniff her fingertips. "All she needs now is a tiny satchel and an Indiana Jones hat and she'll be good to go."

Kate giggled. "Oh, that would be perfect. And there she goes," she said as Alice turned and started bouncing her way back down the hall. "Alice and I will be around if you need us," she said, giving Juliet and Max a quick hug before following after her bunny.

"Have fun, you two!" Max shared a smile with Juliet. "She's so cute, right?"

"Yup." Juliet grinned as she led the way to her room. "And Alice is, too."

Predictably, Max blushed. "Well, you're not wrong. But you know I was talking about Alice hopping around."

"Oh, yeah, I know." Juliet waited for Max to enter before closing her door most of the way closed. "But I also figured I could get you to blush, so I had to go for it."

Max looked around, never having been in Juliet's room, and found herself fascinated. It wasn't anything like she expected. There were several posters featuring lakes, forests, and a moonlit sky hanging on the walls, all of which were the perfect backdrop for the plethora of porcelain fairy figurines displayed prominently on a bookcase. Max smiled as she leaned in to examine them. "These are so awesome."

"Thanks." Juliet sat on the edge of her bed and took off her boots. "I've loved fairies ever since I was little and now that I'm a bit older, I love their beauty and whimsical nature. Probably not what you expected from me, I figure, always seeking the truth, wanting to uncover the reality of everything."

"Actually, I think it fits you perfectly." Max turned to Juliet, who had shucked her jacket, and smiled. "A little fantasy to balance out the harshness of the reality you see everyday. To remind you that it's not all bad and sometimes, it's good to just fly away for a bit, escape to a place that's magic, where wishes come true."

Juliet felt a warm smile growing on her face. "Shit, Max, you're too sweet for words, you know that?" She reached out a hand and, when Max took it, tugged her to sit beside her. "I just hope that what I'm about to say won't change your mind about me."

Max blinked as she felt a twinge of nervousness coming from her soulmate, though Juliet gave no outward sign. "What do you mean?"

The young reporter turned in her seat to face Max, folding her leg under her. "I wanted to be upfront with you, let you know that I'm... not like Kate. Meaning, I've had sex before. A few times, actually. Well, several times." She huffed out a breath and brushed her fingers through her hair, loosening her bun in the process. "I'm not saying that to mock Kate or anything. I don't judge anyone who's had or hasn't had sex. Everyone's different and it's a personal choice. I just wanted you, my soulmate, to know, before we reciprocated."

"Because you think I'll change my mind about reciprocating?" Mas asked, slightly confused.

"That, and I didn't want you to regret reciprocating with, well, a slut," Juliet said, then blinked when she felt an abrupt spike in anger coming from her soulbond.

"And who, exactly, said that about you?" Max asked, her voice dangerously calm.

"No one!" Juliet blurted out, raising her hands. "I listen to the rumor mill constantly and no one's ever said that about me. Promise!"

Max leaned in slightly, eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

The ace reporter nodded rapidly. "Really, really sure. Promise." When Max closed her eyes and nodded, Juliet bit her bottom lip, trying to cool the slight arousal she felt. Fierce-Max was hot as hell!

"Okay." Max took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. She really didn't like getting mad. "Then, why did you call yourself that?" she asked, opening her eyes.

"I like sex and being physically intimate and have had more than my fair share of partners," Juliet explained. "Maybe more than some people might find... socially acceptable? I've always been discreet about it, though, and have always asked my partners to be discreet, too."

"Zach? Discreet?" Max found that difficult to believe, considering his behavior in the halls.

"Oh, hell no," Juliet said with a shake of her head. "He's a talker, that's for damn sure, which is why we haven't gone past second base."

Max nodded at that. "I guess I only have two questions for you."

"Shoot."

"First, and please don't take this as an insult, but you're okay, right? As in, healthy?"

It took a second for Max's meaning to register but when it did, Juliet nodded. "Absolutely. I believe in and practice safe sex. I talk to everyone before engaging in any sexual activity and have gotten tested at the beginning of the school year. One of my partners even got themselves tested before we did anything because they wanted to be safe and keep me safe as well. Though, without giving out any names," she said lowering her voice considerably, "most of my partners admitted to being virgins before we did anything, even if they stated otherwise to the general public." She shrugged. "Being labeled a prude is worse than being labeled loose in some circles."

"That... makes zero sense," Max said, "but I'll take your word for it." She mentally shrugged and continued. "My second question is, because you've already said you don't judge those who haven't had sex, and I know you won't pressure me until I'm ready, are you asking permission to continue seeking intimacy from others?"

Never before had Juliet been so absolutely gobsmacked by a question. "Uh…" Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she was able to kick-start her brain. "No? No. Definitely not. That honestly didn't occur to me." And it really didn't. She wondered, briefly, if Max was upset at her for bringing up the subject but didn't register any animosity from her soulmate whatsoever. "That definitely wasn't the question I expected."

Max cleared her throat, unused to bringing up the subject of sex. "Physical intimacy with my soulmates is something that I've been giving a lot of thought about recently. Especially since I've enjoyed what I've received with them so far. When I reciprocated with Chloe and Rachel, I wound up spending the night with them, all of us curled up together in bed." She smiled at Juliet's soft, "Aww!"

"And when I reciprocated with Steph, we wound up just snuggled up together for over an hour, just enjoying that closeness." She shook her head. "But nothing beyond that, not that they asked or anything. I like the cuddling, the closeness, and the kissing, but I know I'm not ready for sex, not yet. So, if you need something that I can't provide, whom am I to deny you?"

"You're my soulmate," Juliet replied. "Of course you can deny me."

"Right," Max said with a snort. "And at the same time, let me deny you from being a journalist or wearing skirts or staying up past your bed time." She gave Juliet a small grin. "No. Just because I'm your soulmate doesn't mean I can dictate your life. You're your own person and even reciprocated, you'd remain your own person, free to pursue your dreams and live your life, kinda like what Brooke told me yesterday. I'll just be with you every step of the way, here," she said, tapping her chest to emphasize her point.

Juliet thought about Max's words for several moments. "That does make sense, but still, you don't think it's wrong? Like, you seriously wouldn't have a problem with me sleeping around even if we reciprocated?"

"Not at all. For example, right now I can tell you that Rachel and Chloe are getting frisky on the roof." Max blinked at that realization. "Wait. What the hell are they doing up there?"

"We'll tell you later," Juliet said, waving that aside. "Trust me, it's all good."

"If you say so," Max said, getting back on point. "But yeah, they're getting frisky, which is normal for them, and doesn't make me jealous at all. So why would I get jealous of you doing the same?"

"Maybe it's different because both of them are your soulmates?"

"Or, it's because I know their hearts." Max smiled. "I'm pretty sure Kate would have a much better explanation for it but the way I think of it, reciprocating means sharing a fragment of pure love with each other that will never fade. That means, no matter where you are or who you're with, I'll always know you love me, because I'll carry that piece of you, just like you'll always know I love you, since you'll carry that piece of me. But it doesn't change who you are. If you fall in love with someone, get married, have kids, win a Pulitzer prize for journalism, you'll do all of it with the quiet knowledge that I'm here for you."

Max reached out with both hands and took a hold of Juliet's. "I did some reading about group relationships. Poly, I think it's called. And I found there's no one correct way to go about things. All of us will have to talk and communicate with one another about what we want in this relationship so that it works as smoothly as possible. But know that if you don't want to be exclusive with me, it won't bother me. And later, if you change your mind and decide you do want to be exclusive, I'll welcome you with open arms. Either way, I'll always love you."

God_damn_! Juliet thought she was a whiz with words but listening to Max speak, well, it was the most romantic thing ever. She was filled with such an overwhelming urge to kiss her soulmate and leaned forward, Max meeting her halfway. After a long, glorious moment, she eased back a touch only to then tease, nibble, and coax some rather delicious sounds from Max's throat. Out of respect for Max's boundaries, though, she kept a hold of Max's hands, to ensure they didn't roam where they weren't invited.

When she finally ended the kiss, Juliet rested her forehead against Max's, then waited for Max to blink her eyes open. "I think," Juliet said quietly, "that after tonight, I won't be looking for intimacy outside our nexus. Why would I want to, when all I ever wanted is right here?"

Max stared deep into Juliet's eyes, only partly aware of just how bright her cheeks were at that moment. "O-okay. Um." She pressed her lips together, still feeling the echoes of that really, really hot kiss. "Not that I'm trying to argue but are you sure you won't miss Zach?"

"We talked about it, after I got my mark," Juliet answered, as she pulled back. "Breaking up, I mean. We already knew we weren't going to be long term, us having two completely different goals in life. Him, football, me, journalism. This?" She motioned to her soulmark. "This just bumps up the timetable a bit, that's all. I'll tell him tomorrow, make it official."

"As long as you're okay with everything."

"Of course." Juliet suddenly grinned. "It wouldn't surprise me if he was really getting it on with one of the cheerleaders downstairs right this minute, figuring we're on the outs anyway, so may as well have some fun."

Max blinked. Juliet didn't seem upset by the idea. "Not very exclusive, I take it?"

Juliet shrugged. "Neither of us were, but we knew that going in. We had more of a 'friends with non-exclusive benefits' thing going than a traditional boyfriend/girlfriend thing."

"Okay." Max smiled. "I don't quite get it, raised like I was, but suddenly having twelve soulmates is really giving me a crash course in non-traditional relationships."

"Any regrets?"

"None at all. And you?"

"I have a soulmate," Juliet stated proudly, "and Dana, my best friend in the whole wide world, is also your soulmate, meaning that my biggest fear about growing up, us drifting apart, is unlikely to ever happen. I couldn't be more happy than I am right now."

Juliet's words resonated deep within Max, who knew the pain that came with separation, how that could and would be soul-crushing, and was grateful to the powers that be that she was able to spare Juliet that suffering. She looked down to their still joined hands, to Juliet's soulmark, and smiled. "Same here. Ready to make it official, then?"

"Ready." Juliet raised her arm. "Make the magic happen."

And with a single kiss, Max most certainly did.


	6. Reciprocation, part 2, the middle

When Max and Juliet exited the latter's room, literally everyone was sticking their heads out whatever door of whomever's room they were currently occupying. And all of them were grinning. Max gave everyone a small wave and a smile that was nowhere near as shy as it would've been two weeks ago (gaining twelve soulmates did wonders for her self-confidence). Her smile broadened considerably when she felt Juliet wrap her in a hug from behind.

Juliet held Max close and nuzzled the back of her neck. God, she felt so light, so warm, so uplifted. Stella was absolutely right: it was everything she could ever want, and more. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Max said, leaning back a bit. "Need me to stay a bit longer?"

"Mmm." Juliet was sorely tempted. But. "Want? Yes. Need?" She shook her head ever so slightly. "I won't lie and say I do, even if want to hoard you all to myself. No need to be greedy especially since the others are still waiting."

"I'll stay and cuddle with you more, though. I don't want you to feel abandoned."

"I won't," Juliet replied with a broad smile. She let go and waited for Max to turn to face her. "And I'll never feel that way, ever. We're together now," she said, placing a hand over Max's heart, "forever and ever. Like a fairy tale brought to life."

"I'm glad," Max said simply, and placed her own hand over Juliet's heart. "Later, you'll have to show me those Tinkerbell movies I saw on your shelf. I haven't had a chance yet."

Juliet's eyes lit up with delight. "Ooo, I can't wait." She leaned forward and gave Max a quick kiss on the lips. "But until then, you have some others to kiss."

Max nodded, smiling. "Okay. Love you."

"Love you, too."

With that, Juliet turned made her way to the vending machines near the common room, giving Chloe, who was stepping out from Rachel's room with a blanket curled under one arm, a high-five. Max grinned at that, then waited as Chloe approached. "'Sup, Chloe?"

"Just me and Rach," Chloe said with a grin, motioning with her head to the roof. "I'm grabbing a blanket because, even if it's not cold, our asses need the cushioning."

"Why are you guys even up there, anyway?" Max asked. "And how are you up there? Don't they padlock the access panel?"

Chloe snorted. "You doubt my mad lock picking skills?"

"Yes," Max answered. "I've certainly seen you fail enough before."

"Oh, Maximum Honesty, you wound me," Chloe said with an exaggerated stagger backwards, before grinning. "And you're right, I still need practice. But as luck would have it, the padlock wasn't even secured. It's a bit rusty so whoever last went to the roof for maintenance or whatever apparently didn't push it in far enough to actually latch." She shrugged. "Still, their fuck up is our gain. And before you say anything, we've been super careful, not walking around more than necessary and staying away from the edge."

Which only partially assuaged Max's worries but, well, Chloe was Chloe. Prior experience told her when to pick and choose her battles and this certainly wasn't one she'd win. "Okay, but you haven't actually explained why you're up there at all."

"Ah." Chloe grinned. "Rachel wanted to look at the stars, real ones, not the ones on her dorm ceiling. This is the best we can do under the circumstances since we don't want to leave campus until the minions downstairs finally go away."

"Gotcha."

"Plus," Chloe continued, "we didn't want to be away from you."

Max blinked at that. "Really?"

"Of course, 'really.' You think that we'd just abandon you, especially now?"

"Well, maybe not abandon, but I figured since you already reciprocated, you'd want to go do other things?"

"I am." Chloe stepped up and wrapped her free arm around Max and pulled her into a hug. "We are. We're spending time with each other while still being close to our soulmate. We fucking love you, Max. I love you. Why would we want to leave?"

"I--" Max sniffed loudly, the sudden eruption of love overwhelming her momentarily. "Dog…" She wrapped both arms around her oldest friend and held on tight. "Now who's saying sappy shit without warning?" she asked, her voice rough with emotion.

Chloe smirked. "Maybe I'm bad with saying stuff like that, but being your soulmate, even after only a couple of days, kicks ass. I know how you feel about me, now. How you felt before. And how you'll always feel. It's awesome." She pulled back slightly to look Max in the eyes. "You're awesome, dude. And I'll always be here."

"Thanks." There was so much more Max wanted to say that she couldn't quite put into words, but the way Chloe's face softened told her she understood anyway. "Better go back to Rachel," she said softly.

"Yeah." Despite agreeing, Chloe didn't move away. Instead, she looked at Max, still with that soft expression, then leaned forward and gave Max a quick kiss on the cheek. "Catch you soon, Maxilicious."

Because Chloe turned away, she completely missed just how bright Max's cheeks turned thanks to the completely unexpected kiss. Sure, it was on the cheek and nothing like how Victoria or Juliet kissed her, but still, it was a kiss! From _Chloe_! "Wowsers…"

"'Wowsers,' indeed."

Max turned at the voice, seeing Taylor standing close by. "Hey, Taylor."

"Hey, yourself." Taylor smiled then gave Max's cheek a gentle poke. "I don't think I've ever seen that shade of red on you before. Looks cute."

"Oh, quiet," Max muttered as she brought her hands to cover her cheeks. She was smiling herself, though. "I just never expected a kiss from Chloe, that's all."

"Even though you're really close, and soulmates now?"

"Yeah. We have some history and because of that, I never thought she'd ever kiss me." Max brought a hand up to her lips. "I guess she really does forgive me," she whispered.

Uncertain what Max was referring to but knowing it wasn't time to ask, Taylor kept quiet, giving Max her moment of silent contemplation. When she was certain the moment had passed, she reached out and gave Max's shoulder a soft pat. "Are you up to reciprocate with me?"

"Oh!" Max looked to Taylor and smiled. "Yes, definitely. I take it that means you're done with Victoria?"

"Kinda yes, kinda no." The starting walking down the hall, Taylor in the lead. "She's actually going to be there with us, if that's okay."

"If you're fine with it, then sure. How come, though?"

"A couple of reasons, though the most important one is, I wanted her to capture the exact moment of my reciprocation on film."

The pair stepped into Victoria's room, Max pausing in the doorway. She hadn't had the privilege of being in Victoria's room much before other than ducking inside to quickly steal her cookies back, but she knew for a fact that Victoria didn't own quite so many lamps and other assorted light sources. Maybe they were Taylor's?

Victoria herself was standing across from her couch, looking through her camera that was mounted on a stand, making a couple of adjustments. "Have a seat, Sweet-T. I switched out a lamp to soften the light and I need to check the shadows."

"Sure thing." Taylor sat in the exact same spot as before, then tilted her head back. "Howzit look?"

"Hmm. Much better. Let me touch up your makeup, though." Victoria stepped back and motioned towards Max. "Come in, please, but make sure the door's closed most of the way behind you."

Nodding, Max stepped inside. "I take it you don't want the hall light to spoil things with its harshness?"

"Precisely." Victoria grabbed a few things from the makeup kit on the coffee table and proceeded to make a few minute adjustments to Taylor's look. "I'd normally on your makeup, too," she said to Max, "but since you're going to be out of frame, I figured it wasn't important. I will later, though."

"For Courtney?" Max asked.

"Yes." Both Victoria and Taylor knew about Courtney's desires for her reciprocation and were more than willing to help make it happen. "No offense but I seriously doubt you'd be able to get just the right look she's wanting from you on your own."

"None taken." Max made her way further inside, careful not to bump any of the lamps out of position. "I know I'm not the greatest with makeup, never getting the hang of it before."

"Victoria's damn good," Taylor said, eyes closed as Victoria worked a brush across the contours of her face. "Though being perfectly honest, Dana and Courtney are, too. If you want to grab a few tips, I'd ask them."

"Better if you asked Rachel, first," Victoria corrected, using a single finger under Taylor's chin to nudge her head left, then right. "She's better at the minimalistic approach, using very little to accomplish a lot." She nodded, closed her compact, then turned to Max. "You're already used to that approach with your makeup, so best play to your strengths. You can get crazy once you're more comfortable with things."

Well, damn. Never did Max expect that Victoria would say nice things about Rachel. Like, ever. "That's a great idea. I might do that later."

Victoria placed the makeup back on the table then went to her camera. "Go ahead and sit next to Taylor, like you're about to kiss her mark," she said, motioning towards the couch. "I want to check the lighting again."

"Sure thing." Max eased herself onto the couch, close to Taylor, and gave her a smile. "How're you feeling?"

"Super fucking excited," Taylor said. "In fact, I'm doing everything I can to not smile too widely or laugh or cry or anything that might ruin Victoria's makeup job. She spent a lot of time on it, just for me."

"Of course she did," Max said automatically. "She loves you and wants the best for you."

Victoria cleared her throat. "Lose the hoodie, please," she requested.

Taylor, again, fought the urge to grin like mad as her soulmate took off her ubiquitous hoodie. "You can't see it from this angle but she's blushing again."

"Fuck you, T," was the muttered response.

"I know." Max shot a grin in Victoria's direction. "I made a mental promise not to tease her about it too much, though. Even reciprocated, it's not a good idea to irritate the Queen B of Blackwell."

"Smart." Victoria stood upright. "Okay, angle's good, lighting's set, Max, you're out of frame so don't worry about that. I'm ready whenever you are."

Taylor flicked her eyes towards her friend and smiled as widely as possible without messing up her makeup. "Thanks, seriously."

"You're welcome."

Max regained Taylor's attention by taking a gentle hold of her wrist. "You said you were super excited?" she repeated.

"Absolutely. Having a soulmate, it's one of those dreams come true, the kind you get after watching way too many heartthrob teen romance movies." She and Max both smiled at Victoria's mock-retch in the background. "So yeah, getting a mark is amazing to me. Courtney, too. We both watched a ton of those movies together when we were younger."

Which explained Courtney's desire to be swept off her feet. Max could only hope she could play her part well, but that did lead to an important question. "You're not disappointed, though? That I'm not, um, heartthrobby enough?"

"I honestly don't care about that at all," Taylor said. "Soulmates are different than boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives. Gender, sexual orientation, all of it, isn't even a blip on my radar. Soulmates, to me, are beyond things like that. We'd be joined and that's all that matters." She smiled. "Though I'll be base enough to admit that it doesn't hurt that my soulmate is a cutie."

Predictably, Max flushed. "You think so?"

"I know so. And so do several others. Right, Victoria?" Taylor asked, glancing in her friend's direction.

A low, irritated growl was Victoria's initial response. "Some time this century, Sweet-T. I do, in fact, want to sleep at some point tonight."

Taylor looked back to Max. "Who would have thought that Victoria of all people would be so bashful about her attraction to you?"

"Don't make me kick your ass."

"She won't," Max told Taylor, grinning. "At least, not until after the photo. So you might want to run once she's finished." She waited until Taylor finished giggling, then raised the blonde's forearm until it was vertical, soulmark facing towards her.

Max brushed the mark with her fingertips, hearing a shutter go off when she did so. "Can you tell me a bit about your mark?" she asked softly.

"It's a healing crystal," Taylor replied, lowering her voice to match Max's. "I had dabbled in Wicca when I was younger but when my mom got real sick, I dove head first into it, both to try and help her and to ground myself in something that wasn't constant worry and anxiety." She shrugged slightly. "I know it's not everyone's deal but it certainly helped me."

"And how's your mom now?"

"Recovered." Taylor sighed, her face relaxed and peaceful. "She doesn't quite understand my fascination with these so-called rocks but thanked me all the same."

The sound of Victoria's camera going off barely registered this time. "Then I'm glad. That she's better now and that, even if she doesn't understand, she still loves you and supports your belief." Max stroked Taylor's soulmark with her thumb. "Later, you should talk to Kate about faith and religion. I believe you and she would enjoy the back and forth about your varied beliefs."

Taylor blinked at the suggestion (Victoria took another shot) but managed to swallow the first comment that came to her mind. Instead, she forced herself to consider that course of action, knowing instinctively that Max wouldn't suggest it if it would cause problems. "You don't think she'd judge me, for being a witch?"

"No." Max shifted her gaze to look Taylor in the eyes. "Kate's the most tolerant person I've ever met and the most open-minded Christian I know. Forget all the crap you read on social media about religious intolerance. She's not like that at all." She smiled. "Maybe you won't hang out everyday like you and Courtney and Victoria, but I know my soulmates and I'm positive you'd get along."

Click.

"Then, I'll take your word for it," Taylor said with a short nod. "I'll probably ask tomorrow after classes."

"Perfect." Max's smile was bright as she shifted forward ever so slightly.

Click.

"Are you ready, then?" she asked, brushing Taylor's soulmark one more time.

"I am."

Taylor watched Max lean forward, felt the slightest puff of breath on her wrist a moment before she was pierced by a bolt of pure ecstasy. Her eyes closed, her back arched, and her mouth opened in a soundless cry as rode the waves of pure joy that rocked her very soul.

And on the other side of the room, completely forgotten by Taylor and Max, Victoria took shot after shot, wondering if she looked just as beautiful when she reciprocated with Max as Taylor did right this moment.

* * *

Max and Taylor spent the next 15 minutes just snuggled up with each other on the couch, eyes closed, basking in their newfound closeness. As absolutely perfect as that was, it was made even better when Max, sensing something from her other soulmate, opened her eyes to see Victoria looking at the two of them, her face uncertain. Like she knew what she wanted but had no idea how to ask. Max simply reached out with her free hand and, when Victoria took it, tugged her down to join them. It was so wonderful, having two of her soulmates curled into either side of her, their hands entwined in hers. Part of her hoped they could stay like this forever. The other part, though, remembered she still had a few others to reciprocate with before the night was through.

As if that one thought was their cue, Victoria and Taylor both unfurled themselves from Max. "I think we're monopolized enough of your time," Victoria stated softly. "There are others who need you."

"Are you sure?" Max asked, looking between the two blondes. "I can always stay a bit longer."

"And that's why you're too sweet for words," Taylor said, giving Max's hand a gentle squeeze. "Because you're so considerate and you never want us to feel abandoned. But we're sure. No sense in hogging all your time now when I'm pretty damn sure we'll be getting more cuddle time in the days to come."

Max wasn't able to detect any animosity or deceit from either girl, and so nodded her head. "As long as you're okay."

"Thank you, though," Taylor continued, then leaned forward to give Max a soft kiss. "For the offer." She giggled when Max blushed again. Damn, this girl was cute!

"Um." Max was never going to get used to that, was she? She took a moment to stand and stretch slightly, buying her brain time to reset itself. "Oh, and thanks for taking a photo of my marks," she told Victoria. "So far, I've gotten a photo taken of my back after each reciprocation and watching the marks gradually get colored in is pretty amazing."

"You're welcome," Victoria replied as she stood as well. "Too bad they aren't all Polaroids, though. Otherwise, you could hang them on your wall."

"I still might. I'll just have to print them off on photo paper instead."

"Then, let me know if you want to borrow my printer for that," Victoria offered. "I have one of the better ones on the market."

Which was expected. What wasn't expected was the offer in the first place. Or, maybe that was once the case but now things were different? "I think I will. Thanks." Max stepped forward and wrapped Victoria in a warm hug, knowing that she was far more comfortable with this show of affection when there were witnesses than she would be a kiss. For now. "I'll be around later if you need me, okay?"

Victoria nodded. "Sure." She gave Max one final squeeze then let go. "But I think you might be needing me soon, right?"

"Hmm?" Then, Max remembered. "Oh, crap! You're right. What time is it?"

"Almost 8," Taylor replied, looking at her phone. "And would you look at that. About a dozen messages from three of our downstairs visitors, asking if they can study with me."

"How shocking." Victoria's voice was the definition of droll. "Though I'll admit, it took them longer than I expected for them to text you."

"Probably working their way around," Taylor pointed out as she put her phone away. "They might've texted Dana first, followed by Juliet, then me, then Courtney."

"But none of that matters," Victoria stated, motioning Max towards the door, "since you have way more important things to worry about than what's happening downstairs."

"True. Time to go see what Dana and Alyssa cooked up."

All three left Victoria's room and went across the hall into Max's, and stopped in the doorway, stunned. After all, it wasn't everyday that the three were treated to the sight of Juliet bent over Max's bed, facedown, wrists bound behind her back with a length of pantyhose while Steph hovered over her, nibbling on her ear, one hand drifting up her halter. Max swallowed heavily at the sight. It was an incredibly intense scene and was turning her on something fierce!

Victoria rolled her eyes. People getting it on in front of her didn't phase her one bit (she ran the Vortex, after all, and had seen quite a lot), though it was somewhat surprising to see the girl she topped getting topped by someone else. But now wasn't the time to unpack any of that. Courtney was waiting and time was ticking away, so she opted to interrupt the pair by clearing her throat. Loudly.

The response from the necking pair was immediate. They both jerked their heads in Victoria's direction and, when the saw they had an audience, scrambled upright. "Shit! Um, hey, Max!" Steph's entire demeanor screamed "sheepish" even as she helped Juliet from the bed, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her steady. "Sorry. We, um, lost track of time."

"You're fine, promise." Now that Max's head wasn't occupied with rampant thoughts of… something, she could instead focus on her soulbond, getting a sense of arousal, embarrassment, and… shame? She blinked and looked to Juliet, now realizing her soulmate wasn't actually meeting her gaze.

Oh, hell no. Not happening, not on her watch.

Max stepped forward (giving Steph a polite nod so she understood she wasn't being ignored) and lieu of holding her hands, gently clasped Juliet's upper arms. "You're fine," she repeated softly. "Promise." She brushed her thumbs along Juliet's skin and waited for her to finally meet her gaze. She smiled gently. "Please, close your eyes and focus on our bond. Can you do that for me?"

Juliet swallowed and obeyed. After a moment, she nodded. "Yeah."

Max ignored how rough Juliet's voice sounded at that moment. "Good. Now, tell me, what can you feel, through your bond? Be completely honest."

"Okay." Juliet took a deep breath to steady herself and slowly let it out. "Love. Concern. Curiosity. Um, arousal." She said that last part a bit reluctantly, though Max did ask her to be honest.

The brunette in question nodded. Sure, she felt a smidgen embarrassed at that revelation but Juliet's well-being took priority here. "Can you feel any anger, disappointment, jealousy?"

"No." Juliet blinked her eyes open. "No, none."

"Because I meant what I said before. Every word." Max gave Juliet's arms a small squeeze. "I'm not mad, would never be mad at you for being intimate with anyone and certainly not my soulmate. You even said you'd probably seek intimacy within our nexus, which is good. Great, even! Because I know everyone will treat you with the same love and respect and adoration as I would. I'd never deny you that."

Juliet, overwhelmed by Max's words and the emotion she felt, sniffed loudly and went to give her soulmate a hug, only to come up short. "Dammit. Steph..."

"On it. One sec."

Max didn't wait, and wrapped her arms around Juliet's waist. A moment later and Juliet was hugging her back, Steph stepping to one side, her makeshift rope in her hands. Everyone maintained a respectful silence, letting the two have their moment, though Victoria, Taylor, and Steph all exchanged glances, looking between Juliet and each other, and managed to communicate wordlessly that Steph wasn't the only one to have been with Juliet in the past.

Something to discuss later.

After a long moment, Juliet let go of Max and gave her a wet smile. "Thanks," she whispered, then turned when Steph offered her several tissues. "Thanks," she repeated, then started cleaning herself up.

Steph took the opportunity to explain her presence to Max. "Dana asked me to come over and help pick out an outfit for you, being that I do costume design in Theater and have a good eye for color coordination, gender swapping roles, and getting an androgynous look." She placed a comforting hand on Juliet's shoulder. "She then asked Juliet to take over for her since she wanted to get ready for her kiss later. We narrowed things down to a really good outfit, then starting joking about backstage changing room shenanigans during past plays." She gave Max a shrug. "One thing led to another and, well, you saw the rest."

Max smiled at the two. "Like I said, I'm not mad or anything. I'm glad you have that history and an established relationship. I'm just sorry for interrupting."

"Nuh-uh." Taylor shook her head, attracting everyone's attention. "You don't get to be sorry. This is your room and, horn dogs or not, you have every right to be here."

"Not to mention we still have to get you ready for Courtney," Victoria reminded everyone. She turned her attention to Steph. "Show me what you picked out so I can figure out what makeup to use."

"I'll take off, then," Juliet said, balling up the tissue in her hand. "I know I'll just get in the way. Too many chefs in the kitchen and all that."

Max wasn't just going to let Juliet walk away, though, not until she did one final thing. She reached up and cupped both of Juliet's cheeks, then gently pulled her into a soft, sweet kiss. "I don't want you to be alone yet," she said softly, "so, if you're feeling up to it, please check on Dana, see if she needs any help. Okay?"

"I will," Juliet replied, smiling as the last vestiges of her worry faded away. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Max watched as Juliet left, then blinked as Taylor took Juliet's hand in hers and walked with her out of the room. They must've been closer than she thought. She didn't have time to think about it, though, not when Steph held a long-sleeved button shirt up against her chest.

"Thoughts?" Steph asked, directing her question to Victoria.

"Hmm. Good pick. This can't be from Max's closet, though."

"It's from mine, actually," Steph replied. "We're close enough in size for it to work and its looseness will only help the illusion."

"Point. And pants?"

Steph held up a pair of black jeans that didn't look like they've seen much use. "These did, in fact, come from Max's closet."

"Shock and awe. They're in good shape. Shoes?"

"These boots."

Victoria nodded. "Nice. Dark brown coordinates with nearly everything. Jacket?"

Steph help up another article of clothing against Max's chest. "Vest. On loan from Chloe."

"Doable. Tie?"

"I have three."

"Hmm. The middle one. The blue accents match Max's eyes."

"Very true. And for the coup de grâce, voilà!"

"And where the hell did you find a fedora here in the girls' dorm?"

"Believe it or not, this is Stella's."

"Huh. Will wonders never cease." Victoria turned from the hat in Steph's hands to Max. "Okay, we have your outfit ready, so go ahead and get changed so I can start your makeup."

Max blinked. All that back and forth nearly made her head spin. "I don't suppose I have any say in this?"

Steph smirked. "None whatsoever. Now, strip. We have a schedule to keep."

* * *

In record time (Steph's words, not hers), Max was stepping out of her room, dressed to the nines. Between Victoria's makeup job, Steph's completed outfit, and the last minute application of some hair gel to give her a slightly more masculine appearance, even Max could admit she was looking rather handsome. That point was driven home a moment later when Brooke walked around the corner, froze, then dropped both her book and her jaw.

Max felt a rather familiar warmth from their soulbond and for once, it didn't make her feel embarrassed. Instead, she felt a swell of pride. "Whatcha think?" she asked as stopped near Brooke.

Brooke very obviously looked Max up and down, then licked her lips. "Warren who?"

That made Max laugh. "Thanks. I'd talk longer but Courtney's waiting for me. See you around." As she made her way down the hall, she smiled when she overheard Brooke mutter, "Now I'm jealous of _Courtney?_" Though she knew it was said in jest, Max decided to do something extra special for Brooke later. Maybe a totally platonic date dressed like this?

Max pushed the thought out of head as she approached Courtney's room. Having already alerted her via text that she as coming, Max gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. She was immediately greeted with the subtle scent of berries and vanilla, likely from a couple of the numerous candles that dotted several surfaces in the room. Not exactly legal (Blackwell had a rule against open flames in the building) but in this moment, she really didn't give a damn. Not when Courtney was looking absolutely stunning.

The slightly shorter girl was wearing a deep blue halter cocktail dress that came to just above her knee, low heels, and blue sapphire jewelry on her wrist and ears that sparkled in the candlelight. Her makeup was tastefully done, accentuating her features while also giving her a more mature look. Her hair had a slight sheen to it, telling Max that Courtney must've spent some time brushing it.

Max knew she was being a bit obvious about checking Courtney out, but damn, she couldn't help herself! Not only was Courtney really attractive, this was the first time in her life that anyone had ever dressed up for her. It made Max feel special in a way she never thought possible, and judging the way Courtney was also checking her out, the feeling was mutual.

"There you are, Max," Courtney stated, smiling softly. "You were taking so long, I was wondering if you had forgotten."

The way Courtney was speaking, slower than usual, carefully enunciating her words, told Max she was playing a part, and so responded in kind. "I could never forget such a vision of beauty as yourself," she replied, lowering the timbre of her voice. "Forgive me?"

"Of course," Courtney stated as she and Max approached each other. "You look rather dashing this evening. For me?"

"Of course," Max replied, mirroring Courtney's response. "And may I say that you look... ravishing."

Courtney giggled. "Oh, you tease." Her eyes danced with mirth. It was apparent she was having a grand time. "Any suggestions on how we can pass the time this fine evening?"

Max quickly rifled through several probable responses before settling on one best suited for the setting. "Perhaps we could dance the night away?" The way Courtney smiled told Max that she said the exact right thing.

"Then allow me." Courtney turned to her stereo (revealing the back of her dress was delightfully sheer) and pressed "Play." A couple of seconds later and the sounds of smooth jazz filled the air. She turned back to Max and gave her a winning smile. "Shall we?"

"It would be an honor."

With that, Max stepped forward and placed one of her hands on the small of Courtney's back, then raised the other. Courtney responded by placing one hand on Max's shoulder, the other in Max's hand. Then, they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After several moments, Max broke character by clearing her throat. "Um, I actually don't know how to dance. I'm just posing like this because I saw it on the cover of _The American President_." Her fear that Courtney would be disappointed were assuaged a moment later then the shorter girl burst out laughing.

"Shit, me neither!" She continued to laugh, Max joining her a moment later. God, it was just too fucking funny not to! "Oh, damn," Courtney sighed happily as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "And we were doing to well, too. I was hoping to just follow your lead, fake it that way."

"Same." Max grinned. "Though I suppose that wouldn't have worked, considering that, as the 'man,' I should be leading in the first place."

"And what a man you are." Courtney smiled and brushed her hands across Max's vest. "You really outdid yourself, so much more than I was expecting. Thank you."

"You're welcome. It was actually a lot of fun, getting dressed up like this. Steph and Victoria made it happen, though a bunch of people pitched in."

"And what did they think?"

"Victoria declared me devilishly handsome and took a photo to immortalize the occasion. Steph said, um, something similar."

Courtney smiled at Max's blush and poked her in the shoulder. "C'mon, you can tell me."

Max shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Um. Okay. She said that if I walked around campus dressed like this tomorrow, I'd leave a trail of soaked panties in my wake."

Again, Courtney giggled. "She's not wrong, you know. You do cut a rather dashing figure."

"Thanks." Max scratched behind her ear, bumping the fedora she forgot she was wearing. She took it off and held it in one hand. "I think I might've impressed Brooke that way on the way over, judging by the way she looked at me. Just, don't spread that around, okay? I don't want to make her embarrassed."

"I promise I won't." And she wouldn't. There was a time, not even two weeks ago, when Courtney would have delighted in spreading such gossip around campus but not now, not with one of Max's soulmates. Not with one of theirs.

And speaking of soulmates, there was a little matter of reciprocating that still needed to be done. Courtney reached out and took the fedora from Max's hand, then plopped it on her own head. "Sit with me?"

Max grinned at the sight. Courtney really knew how to ramp up the cute. "Sure. There's just one thing I need to try first."

"Oh?"

Declining to answer verbally, Max shifted closer to Courtney, grinned, then bent down. When Courtney felt Max reach for her knees, she had enough time to grasp Max's shoulders before she was lifted off the ground. She couldn't help herself and let out a delighted laugh as Max carried her a short distance to her bed, then set her down. "I didn't mean that literally!" she exclaimed, still laughing.

Max smiled as she sat next to Courtney. "Maybe, maybe not, but since I can't dance, the least I can do is sweep you off your feet."

"You must be channeling Chloe."

"I could be," Max agreed. "I do get impressions from everyone I've reciprocated with and that can color my reactions to certain things. It's a good thing," she continued, anticipating Courtney's next question. "I'm still me, definitely. Just a bit more self-confident, which I think is a natural thing with soulmates. Having that quiet knowledge that you're loved by so may others, you can't help but feel more confidence."

"I'm glad." Courtney took Max's hand and gave it a squeeze. "So glad. And so fortunate. To get a soulmark, to have a soulmate, it's a dream come true. I'm sure Taylor told you about that already."

"Some," Max agreed. "She said that you and she watched a lot of heartthrobby movies together."

"We did. But I can honestly say that all the girlish squealing we did, all the excitement we felt back then, all the wishful thinking, pales in comparison to the real thing. It's that quiet knowledge you mentioned a second ago. Even though we haven't reciprocated, I can feel echoes of it. It's so wonderful.

"And yet, as good as that is, I know it'll be a thousand times better," Courtney continued. "Taylor and I spoke to Victoria Sunday evening. Practically grilled her for info. She was so unlike her normal self and was actually patient with us, explaining how it felt to have that bond reciprocated. And I want it so, so bad. But I need to know something really important first."

"Sure thing."

Courtney took a moment to steel herself. "If I begged for forgiveness, for how I treated you before, would you forgive me?"

Max blinked, not having expected that, but fortunately, her answer was easy. "If you apologized, and were genuine, you wouldn't have to beg."

"Okay." Courtney closed her eyes and nodded. "Okay," she repeated, then opened her eyes once more. "I'm so fucking sorry, Max. I knew I was wrong to treat you that way but I was too much of a stuck-up bitch to stop. I'll do what I can to make up for it."

"You won't have to." Max inched closer to Courtney and held her gaze. "Like I said, all you have to do is genuinely apologize and I'll forgive you. And I do forgive you because I know you mean it." She smiled and tapped the center of her chest with her free hand. "Soulbond, remember? I can tell."

"Oh, that's right." Courtney gave Max a bright smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The pair sat together on the bed, simply enjoying each other's company, the sounds of smooth jazz playing in the background. Even if it was a dorm room, it was still a very romantic setting and was likely the impetus for Max's next action. She let go of Courtney's hand stood from her bed, then gave her a warm smile. "Ready?"

"Ready." Courtney made to stand as well but blinked when Max lifted a hand to stop her. "What's up?"

"Allow me." Max shifted to Courtney's left side, then, twinkle in her eye, lowered herself onto one knee, and took a gentle hold of Courtney's left hand. She watched as Courtney gasped, her right hand fluttering to cover her mouth, and smiled softly. "Courtney Wagner," she began, lowering her voice again for effect, "will you do me the honor of becoming my soulmate?"

She tried to hold it in, she really did, but a few seconds later, a loud, happy sob burst out from Courtney's lips. Max was being so fucking cheesy, all for her, and she was absolutely loving it. "Yes," she managed to croak out, her head bobbing up and down, smiling like a maniac. "You romantic sonofabitch, yes."

Max grinned at that last insult, then turned Courtney's wrist over, leaned forward, and made all of Courtney's dreams come true.

* * *

Once Courtney cleaned up and reciprocated Max's mark (snapping a photo of her back with her cell phone), the pair spent the next little while learning how to dance. Neither wanted to part ways just yet and since they were still dressed for the occasion, they figured why waste it? So, after killing the jazz, turning on the regular lights, and extinguishing all the candles (Courtney using a fan to blow as much smoke as possible into the hall), they found some tutorials on YouTube and did their best to follow the instructions. Neither were naturals but some of the dance moves were easy enough to follow and they had a great time, even if they stepped on each other's feet from time to time (sans shoes; they were smart enough to remove them before starting their lessons).

They weren't aware of how much time had passed until Rachel poked her head inside. "Hey, you twoOH MY GOD, look at you!" She stepped fully into Courtney's room, a huge smile on her face. "Holy shit, you're looking so good! Courtney! Great job!"

"Thanks," Courtney replied happily.

"And Max!" Rachel gave her a once-over. "Hot damn, you're looking super fine! I mean, seriously, you are a walking wet dream."

"Thanks. I think?"

"Did Dana send you?" Courtney asked as she stepped back into her heels. "We lost track of time, trying to learn how to dance."

Rachel smiled at that. "Oh, no, nothing like that. But I did want to let you know of a couple of recent developments."

Max took Courtney's lead and started tugging on her boots. "What's up?"

"Two things. First, the girls downstairs know something's up. They've been trying to get on our floor the past half hour through begging, pleading, bribery, and blackmail." She smirked. "Like any of them have enough dirt on us to make that a credible threat."

Courtney smirked. "Not without me, Taylor, and Juliet, they don't."

"Exactly. And second, Chloe threw them off our trail."

"Your plan worked, then?" Courtney asked.

"Damn straight."

"Wait." Max blinked in confusion. "What plan?"

"Let's walk and talk, shall we?" Rachel said, motioning towards the door with her head. "So, you know how Chloe and I were hanging out on the roof earlier?" she asked Max.

"Yeah. She said something about you wanting to see the stars while also wanting to be close to me."

"Both absolutely, 100% true," Rachel said with a nod. "But, we also had a backup plan ready to go should the girls downstairs start getting super nosy. When we saw some of the boys walking around outside, trying to peek into the second story windows, we knew it was time to enact Operation Blue Streak."

"You've been watching too many spy flicks," Max said with a small shake of her head.

"Probably," Rachel allowed, "but it did prompt our idea, which was successfully implemented by the way, so you should be thanking all those spy movies instead of mocking them."

"Fine, fine," Max said with a smile. "And what, exactly, is Operation Blue Streak?"

"It's a diversion," Brooke stated as she and Kate stepped out from the latter's room, having heard the group's approach and their conversation. "Chloe, dressed in an over-sized coat to mask her appearance, would wait for the coast to be clear, then climb out of Steph's window, making just enough noise to attract attention. Once she caught a tail, she'd make her way to the parking lot, borrow Alyssa's car, and drive off, hopefully drawing off enough people here to give us back our privacy."

Max was amazed. That actually sounded like a halfway decent plan. "Why Alyssa's car?"

"No one really pays attention to what she drives," Courtney explained. "On the other hand, Chloe's truck is pretty distinctive. If she drove off in that, her pursuers might realize it was a decoy and come back."

"Smart. So, I take it the plan worked?

Rachel grinned. "Yep! Even when she lost her grip on the makeshift rope and fell on her ass, it worked like a charm."

"She what now!?"

"It's all good!" This came from Steph who came down the hall to join the group. "Only her pride was hurt. And her grunting when she hit the ground was just the right amount of noise to attract everyone's attention and get them to chase her."

Max sighed in relief, though in retrospect, she realized she'd know if something bad were to happen to Chloe. She'd feel it through their bond, after all. "So now all we have to worry about is Chloe joyriding in Alyssa's car."

Most everyone chuckled at that. "She promised to gas it up before returning it," Steph explained, "which will probably be tomorrow morning."

"Gotcha."

"But, enough about that," Rachel interrupted, looking between Max and Courtney. "Now, we have to talk about what a hot pair you make. Check it!"

Courtney giggled and spun around to give everyone a look at her attire. "God, it was so much fun, dressing up, being swept off my feet. Literally!" She gave Max a wide smile. "She was so smooth, so romantic, so much that I really want to go on a real date like this."

"You're not the only one," was Brooke's muttered response, then blinked when Max stepped closer to her.

"Say the word," Max said to Brooke, "and I'll be glad to ask you out. We'll keep things as chaste and platonic as you like. We wouldn't even kiss if that's uncomfortable for you. Just two gals being pals."

Brooke snorted in amusement, then considered the offer, thought about how much fun she'd have on a genuine date with her soulmate. She looked Max up and down once more, and smiled. "I'd like that. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Rachel waved to the rest of the girls hovering nearby. "Anyone else want to swoon over Max before she heads to Dana's room?"

"Knock it off," Max said with a smile, giving Rachel a soft shove.

"Perhaps not swoon, but may I snap a photo of you two?" Kate asked. "Like a prom-type photo of you two together?"

Courtney nearly clapped in joy at the idea. "I'd love it. Thanks, Kate!"

"You're welcome."

The pair followed Kate's prompting, shifting and moving until the lighting was the best it was going to get, then stood in a few different poses as Kate snapped away. Everyone watching cooed in delight when, in one shot, Courtney tilted her head up and gave Max a kiss on her jaw line, meaning the subsequent shot was of Max completely red in the face. Max got her "revenge," though, when she gripped Courtney around the waist and suddenly dipped her backwards, mimicking one of the dance moves they had seen earlier. Courtney's abrupt squeak coupled with the way her hands clamped around Max's shoulders gave everyone a good laugh.

Soon enough, it was time to part ways. Max still had to reciprocate with Dana and Alyssa and the day was getting late, though not unreasonably so. It was around the time that everyone started winding down, though actual bedtime was still a few hours away for most of them. She took some time to text Chloe (who was fine and was extremely jealous of Alyssa's car having A/C), get a long drink of water, and finally use the facilities. She had finished washing and drying her hands and was examining her appearance in the mirror (she hoped the makeup job Victoria did was still holding up since she had no idea how to fix it) when the door opened. Max turned and saw Stella enter, and gave her a wave. "Hey, there."

"Hey, yourself." Stella smiled as she looked Max over. "Looking sharp. Nice to see that fedora's getting good use, too."

"I heard it was yours," Max replied. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

"You're welcome. It was more of a gag gift than anything serious but I kept it all the same. I'm just glad it's finally getting good use."

Which reminded Max of something serious she had never considered until just now. "I hope seeing me like dressed like this isn't triggering or upsetting," she said quietly.

Stella felt Max's concern and was deeply touched by it. "It isn't," she said with a soft smile. "But thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm impressed you can pull off the androgynous look so well," Stella continued. "It's not normally my thing but if anyone can win me over, it'd be my soulmate."

"Trust me, I was pretty impressed, too," Max said with a grin.

Stella laughed at that. "I felt your reciprocations earlier. I take it Dana or Alyssa's next?"

"Dana. Alyssa said she called dibs on last."

"Oh, that's right. She told me she had a master plan in store, though it depended on what you said later today."

"Oh, really? Care to let me in on the secret, then?" Max asked, already knowing the answer.

"And spoil it for you?" Stella shook her head. "No way."

"Figured." Max shrugged. "Oh well, guess I'll find out soon enough."

The two stood there quietly for a moment before Max stepped closer to Stella, who set down her shower caddy, anticipating what was to come. "Thank you for continuing to watch out for me and my well-being."

"You're welcome." Max smiled, feeling the swell of Stella's love from their bond as well as a fair amount of arousal. Max's current appearance must've been more tantalizing to Stella than she thought. "May I kiss you? Like, really kiss you?"

Stella swallowed heavily. "Yes, please."

Compared to the kiss they shared that morning, this one was a far more heated. Stella fell completely into the kiss, content to let Max take the lead. She let loose a small whimper as Max nudged her backwards until her back was pressed her into the wall of the shower stall, then gasped when Max kissed a soft trail from her lips to her jaw, to the side of her neck. Stella was getting seriously turned on and for the first time in her life, she felt absolutely no shame, no revulsion, not even when her body started reacting in its unique way. She was safe here, safe with her soulmate, who she instinctively knew would never, ever push her too far and would always protect her. That comfort allowed her to finally let go of herself and just _feel_.

Several pulse-pounding moments later, Max dialed down the intensity, her kisses turning gentle, soothing, loving. Mere caresses rather than bolts of lightning. She entwined their fingers together, then delivered one more kiss on the lips before eased away. "Thank you. For letting me kiss you."

Stella snorted out a laugh. "As you would say, 'wowsers.'"

Max snickered and backed out of the stall, followed by Stella. "You take your shower. And in the meantime, I'm going to see Dana. But remember, if you need me, you let me know, okay?"

"I will." Stella leaned forward and gave Max a final kiss on the lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

Stella watched her go and let out a satisfied sigh. Max must've been seriously practicing if that kiss was any indication. Or maybe she's just really good at picking up hints from her soulmates, letting their bond guide her lips. Or both?

Mentally shrugging, Stella reached into the stall and cranked the water on, then doffed her robe (underwear remaining on for the moment). When she felt the water was finally hot enough, she stepped inside. And flinched at the abrupt sound of water hitting something foreign on the top of her head. She shot her hands up and knocked her fedora off her head, only now realizing that Max must've placed it on her while they were making out. Damn, she didn't even notice!

"You sneaky minx," she muttered to herself. She was smiling widely, though.


	7. Reciprocation, part 2, the end

Max honestly had no idea what Dana had in store for her. Between a heavy conversation and some really nice kissing with Juliet, a photo session with Taylor, and what was practically a date with Courtney, she figured anything was possible. What she didn't expect, however, was to find Dana and Juliet curled up together in Dana's bed, seemingly fast sleep. Surprising, sure, but the sense of serenity she got from looking at them was more than enough to put a warm smile on her face.

She carefully made her way inside, uncertain if she should try waking Dana or wait until tomorrow to reciprocate, but then saw Dana blink her eyes open and smile, which told her that she really wasn't asleep, merely relaxing. "Hey, Dana."

"Evening, Max," Dana greeted warmly, though quietly. "Look at you, walking in here so handsome. Makes me sorry I didn't finish dressing up myself."

"No worries," Max said. "And thank you, by the way, for helping select the outfit. Courtney absolutely loved it and, honestly, I've liked it, too."

"I hope that means it won't be a one-time thing," Dana said as she carefully slid from the bed, making sure she didn't disturb Juliet any more than necessary. "I'd love to see you come to a dance dressed like that, and I know I'm not the only one."

"Uh…" was Max's rather unintelligent reply as she got an eyeful of what, exactly, Dana was wearing: lacy black panties, sheer-to-waist tan pantyhose, and literally nothing else. It was definitely an unexpected sight but not an unwelcome one!

Dana grinned to herself as she reached for the oversized sleep shirt on her Papasan chair. Maybe it was a good thing she didn't have time to get dressed up. "Sorry for the surprise there. Juliet caught me in the middle of me deciding on what to wear and I never finished."

The sight of Dana slipping into the long shirt jarred Max back to awareness. "Um, I… I mean, it's okay," she managed, looking away. "It's your room. I shouldn't have just barged in like that."

"Don't even think like that," Dana admonished lightly. "Everyone on the floor knows that when my door's open, they're free to come inside, rain or snow. And if people get an eyeful in the process?" Dana shrugged. "The way I see it, if I really didn't want people to scope me out, I'd close the door or put on more clothing."

That... made some sense, actually. Dana certainly didn't seem upset at Max for looking. And, now that she thought about it, she could recall more than a few times when she walked past Dana's open door and caught a glimpse of her in just her underwear. "Well, as long as I'm not, like, intruding or violating your trust."

"Of course not, don't be silly." Dana then padded her way back to the bed and leaned down to give Juliet a kiss on her forehead. "Sweet dreams," she whispered. "I'll be back soon."

Max smiled at the simple but heartwarming gesture. "I knew there was a reason I asked her to spend time with you."

"Thanks for that, by the way," Dana said as she made her way to her door, actually closing it completely. "She told me about what happened in your room earlier, how you were there for her."

"I knew she was feeling better after I spoke with her initially, but I also know what it's like to feel... vulnerable." Max rested her gaze on Juliet's slumbering form. "You're her closest and dearest friend and I knew you'd take good care of her."

The way Max said that tugged at Dana's heartstrings something fierce. She stepped behind her soulmate and wrapped her arms around her torso. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"I am now." Max closed her eyes and leaned back into Dana's embrace. "I won't bore you with the sad details but before all of this happened, I wasn't in the best of places. Mentally or emotionally. But having twelve beautiful, wonderful soulmates, it's done wonders."

"You'd never bore me, Max. It's literally impossible." Dana tightened her hug slightly. "I won't ask because I can tell it's not the right time to, but if you ever want to talk, should you ever feel like that again, come to me. Please."

Max nodded, then crossed her arms over Dana's. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The pair stayed like that for a minute, Dana swaying them back and forth ever-so slightly, when the still-sleeping Juliet furrowed her brow and grumbled out, "Fuck your whole couch, good sir."

Caught completely off-guard, Max snorted out a loud laugh, then slapped her hands over her mouth, trying desperately not to make any more loud noises. Dana, used to Juliet saying weird shit in her sleep, just grinned. "You're not going to wake her, trust me." She let go of Max and stepped back. "I'm talking quietly out of politeness but really, I could set off a bomb in this room and it wouldn't even phase her."

Max turned, trying and failing to keep from giggling. "Thank dog for that! I was about to pop a vessel trying to keep from laughing."

"And that's not even the funniest shit she's ever said," Dana said. "Don't tell her this but I actually have a recording from a couple of years ago after she pulled a couple of all-nighters in a row. I knew I was going to catch something awesome and she didn't disappoint. It's the best thing ever."

"Oh man." Max wiped at the tears in her eyes. "Part of me wants to beg to listen to that while the other part really doesn't want to die."

"Jules wouldn't kill you. She'll just give you The Look," Dana said while demonstrating exactly what she meant, which made Max grin.

"Almost prefer death, actually."

Snickering, Dana reached forward and took Max's hand. "Sit with me?"

"Sure."

Dana led Max to the couch, then sat her down near one end. Once Max was settled, Dana sat with her back against the arm rest and casually laid her pantyhose-clad legs right across Max's lap. "This okay?"

Again, Max was mesmerized by the mouth-watering sight of Dana's glorious legs. She swallowed heavily. "Um, yes? Yes. Uh..." She kept her hands hovering about an inch above said legs, though, uncertain where she could safely put them, until Dana sat up, placed her hands atop Max's, and gently pushed them down.

"In case you weren't aware, I'm doing this on purpose," Dana said with a smile. "I like you, Max. Always have. And I wouldn't mind a little bit of touching from my soulmate, if you're okay with it."

"Um." Max slowly ran her hands up and down Dana's legs, careful not to let them drift more than four inches in either direction, then gave them a gentle squeeze. "Like that?"

"Whatever you're comfortable with," Dana said as she sat back once more. "I trust you implicitly, just like Juliet. Whatever you do, it'll be just right, I know it."

That quiet faith made Max relax considerably and as a result, she ran her hands down Dana's legs again, slower and further this time, letting herself enjoy the sensations. "Is it okay to admit that I like this?"

"Absolutely." Dana smiled, watching as the tension melted from Max's shoulders. "Tell me why, though."

"It's relaxing," Max replied immediately. "Soothing, in a way. It's a bit sexy, sure. I mean, you're really pretty and I always thought you had nice legs."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Max slid her hands up just past Dana's knees and rested them there. "But it's also homey. Almost an everyday thing. Like, I can picture us lounging around, watching TV or something, sitting exactly like this. Sensual without being sexual. If that makes sense?"

"It does," Dana said, feeling proud that Max came to that conclusion. "That's how we view it, too." She looked towards her bestie, still snoozing away. "Jules and I are like that with each other, sitting close together, touching regularly, enjoying casual intimacy. We love it." She turned to Max. "It probably won't be any huge surprise to know that we've had sex before. We were each other's first, actually. That whole experimentation phase that everyone jokes about. Except, that phase never really ended. More like, it evolved? And I don't mean friends with benefits. Almost the opposite. Being intimate without the sex. Holding each other, hugging, touching, caressing, kissing."

"Like this?" Max asked, brushing a hand down Dana's legs again.

"Exactly." Dana smiled. "Everyday intimacy. Doesn't have to be sexy, doesn't have to lead to sex. Not gonna lie, it can go that way, if both parties agree. It has," she motioned towards Juliet again, "a few times, though probably way less than some might think. But just sharing that closeness is wonderful all on its own."

"And you'd like that with me, too," Max concluded. "Hence, the reason you put your legs in my lap."

"Busted," Dana said with a slight shrug.

"Oh, no. How dare you. How will I ever cope."

Dana giggled at Max's utter deadpan delivery, wiggling her legs a bit, which made Max smile and give them another gentle caress. "I know you're not ready for sex," she said after a moment. "I get that and I respect that. I just wanted you to know that when it comes to other forms of physical intimacy, I'm pretty open and accepting when it comes from those I love and trust. Juliet, obviously, but Rachel and Steph, too."

"Because you were friends in Theater?"

"Yeah."

"And Chloe?"

"To a lesser extent but not because of a lack of trust. It's more because she's actually a really private person with very firm personal boundaries. I picked up on that really early on and, well, I understand that not everyone likes casual touch as much as I do. Rachel, Steph, and you, even before your reciprocation, were exceptions to her rule."

Max thought about that, recalling all the times Chloe would grab her, hug her from behind, or just plop down on a couch practically on top of her, how Max was so used to that from Chloe, how everyday it was for them. How Chloe never did that with just anyone, only Rachel, Steph, and herself. "Wow. I never realized it before."

Then, she had an epiphany and turned to Dana. "Chloe and me, we have a kind of casual intimacy, don't we."

Dana smiled wide. "From what I've seen, yes. And with Rachel, though a little less."

"Yeah, I can see that now. But usually, they're the ones who're initiating the touching." Max bit her bottom lip as she thought about that. "Should I change that?"

"Only if you want to," Dana explained, sitting up again. "Remember, you're you. A touch shy, probably more of an introvert. Right?" She waited for Max to nod. "Right. So, you initiating physical contact is likely not your thing, though receiving it is, depending on who it's from."

Which all sounded dead-on target for her. But. "I did initiate with some people, though. Like Stella and when I helped out Juliet earlier."

"They're your soulmates," Dana reminded her. "Things will be different then, especially when you're getting a read off of them to do something, like hug or kiss or something else. That's you being proactive and watching out for them, loving them the way they need." She motioned to her legs. "Even if you were just getting it on with Stella five minutes ago, you were adorably shy here and now. Because that's your nature. And that's okay."

Max let all that sink in, then smiled. "Thank you. For helping me. For teaching me. For being such a good friend."

She couldn't have asked for a better moment. "You're so welcome, Max." Dana then shifted her legs from Max's lap (who protested only slightly) and sat cross-legged right beside her. "Does that mean you'll reciprocate with me?"

Max turned in her seat and took hold of Dana's proffered arm with a grin. "I think the most appropriate answer to that is, 'no shit.'"

Dana would've laughed at that if it wasn't for the blast of pure joy that erupted from the very depths of her soul.

* * *

Max left Dana's room almost a half-hour later wearing a bright smile. As it turned out, Juliet could sleep through anything _except_ a reciprocation. Dana was surprised, though pleasantly so, when Juliet had hugged her from behind just after she had come down from the high of her reciprocation. They had spent several minutes like that, happy as can be, which gave Max a serious case of the warm fuzzies.

When it became Dana's turn to reciprocate, she surprised Max by asking for permission to disrobe her from the waist up. Max had blushed at that but agreed, knowing intrinsically that Dana simply wanted to continue their theme of casual intimacy and wouldn't actually touch anywhere Max wasn't comfortable with. As a result, the act was sensual, though not sexual, and Max honestly enjoyed it quite a bit.

Maybe she could ask for it again in the future?

Since Max was already carrying her vest and tie, she figured it was time to get changed into her comfy clothes, and went to her room to do exactly that. As she changed, though, she noticed she was still wearing the makeup from before. Knowing it was no longer needed, she grabbed a hand towel, washcloth, and her facial soap, slipped into her flip flops, and made her way to the restroom to get cleaned up.

Max had just finished and was drying off her face when Kate entered the restroom as well. Max turned to greet her but became alarmed when she saw the tear streaks. "Kate? What's wrong, what happened?"

Kate shook her head and gave Max a warm smile. "I'm fine, Max. I promise nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure?" Mas asked, hovering next to her friend, uncertain what to do but really wanting to do something.

"I'm positive." Kate set her towel, washcloth, and soap down at the closest sink and took Max's hands in hers. "Thank you for being so concerned, though. It means the world to me."

"Of course I'm concerned," Max said. "Soulmates or not, you're still my friend. And it looks like you were crying."

Kate squeezed Max's hands. "I was. But it's not a bad thing, not this time. I was praying."

"Praying?" Max asked, confused.

"Yes. Sometimes, when I pray, I get a little emotional, depending on what's happening that day or how I'm feeling. That's especially true if I need to unload a burden onto Him. But these are tears of joy." Kate smiled. "I'm so happy, and ever so grateful. For you. My best friend, my soulmate."

Hearing Kate say that made Max relax. "I'm grateful, too," she said, giving Kate's hand a soft squeeze back. "Thank you for reciprocating with me."

"Of course." Kate released Max's hands and went to the sinks to get cleaned up. "I felt the echoes of your reciprocations tonight. It was wonderful."

"I'm glad," Max said, moving to stand near Kate. "I never really thought about it before, everyone feeling a bit of them. I hope it wasn't distracting."

"Maybe a little," Kate said with a smile. "But it certainly wasn't debilitating. I probably repeated a few things during my prayers since I forgot what I was saying. I'm certain He understands, though."

Max waited patiently for Kate to finish washing up clean before speaking again. "And how's Alice?"

"All tuckered out." Kate splashed water on her face again, turned off the faucet, then fumbled for her towel, which Max handed to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I could tell she really enjoyed getting out and exploring," Kate said, voice slightly muffled as she patted her face dry, "and even after her evening snack, still had energy to burn." She lowered her towel and smiled. "But she must've worn herself out really well since she didn't fight me at all when I put her back in her cage for the night."

"Is she usually fussy like that?" Max asked as the pair gathered their belongings and exited the restroom.

"Only sometimes. If it gets really bad, I'll let her sleep with me."

"Aww," Max cooed at the mental image. "How cute!"

"Until you're woken up at five in the morning with a nose full of whiskers," Kate stated with a slight roll of her eyes.

Max snickered at that. "Are you headed for bed?"

"Yes. It's late enough for me and I do like to wake up for my morning devotions when I'm able. How about you?"

"Not just yet. I still have to meet up with Alyssa. She called dibs on last and now that I've reciprocated with everyone else, I need to text her, make sure she's still up."

"She is," Kate stated confidently. "She's told me before that she's a bit of a night owl and is never in bed before midnight."

"What did she do before coming here?" Max asked, knowing that most public schools started classes way before Blackwell's.

"Take a lot of afternoon naps," Kate said with a sagely nod.

"Makes sense." She stepped up and gave Kate a long, warm hug, which was returned. Neither was quite ready for good night kisses just yet, but hugs were always welcome. "You have a good night, okay?"

"You, too." Kate backed away and smiled warmly at Max. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

Max returned to her room, dropped off her towels and soap, then picked up her phone to text Alyssa.

**Me**  
Hey! I know it's a bit late (sorry!) but Kate said you're definitely still up.

In no time flat, Max's phone buzzed.

**Alyssa**  
No worries! And yes, I'm still up. I'm in the lounge if you want to join me there.

**Me**  
Be right there!

Keeping her flip flops on (the hall carpet may have looked clean, but her no-longer white socks were ample proof that looks could be deceiving), Max made her way down the hall. On the way, she passed Dana's room and, seeing the door was, once again, wide open, peeked inside to see Dana and Juliet curled against one another on the couch, under a blanket, while watching some movie or another. The pair noticed Max and gave her friendly waves, which Max returned, before she continued on her way. Stella's door was shut but Rachel's was halfway open. Curious, Max gently eased her way inside to take a peek, then smiled.

Rachel was laying on her side on her couch, fast sleep, laptop open near her head on a small end table. She was at least dressed comfortably, in loose pajama pants and a light t-shirt, but was without a blanket. Wanting to fix that, Max let herself inside and very carefully stripped the blanket from Rachel's bed and gently tucked her in.

"Thanks, dude."

Chloe's quiet voice nearly caused Max to shriek but she just managed to hold it in. She whirled around and saw Chloe's face on Rachel's laptop, now grinning like a maniac. "Fuck, Chloe, you scared the shit out of me," she hissed.

"Sorry." The look on Chloe's face made it apparent that she was anything but. "We were chatting until about 15 minutes ago, when she conked out."

"Gotcha. I take it you're not tired?"

"A bit, but I also like watching her sleep, so I've been up." Chloe made a small face. "Damn, that sounds weird, didn't it."

"Not to me," Max replied. "You love her and she loves you. Like, genuinely. So of course you like to watch her sleep." Max smirked. "I'll let you know if you start channeling Edward Cullen vibes."

Chloe shot Max the finger at that. "Fuck off."

Max snickered softly, then waved. "Have a good night."

"Wait." Chloe lifted a hand to stop her. "Before you take off, I need you to do something for me."

"What's that?"

"Give Rachel a kiss goodnight for me."

Max blinked in surprise. Talk about a from-left-field request! "A what now?"

"A kiss. Smooch. Dude, you know what I'm talking about."

"I know what a kiss is, thank you very much. But Rachel's your girlfriend."

"But she's your soulmate. I am, too. And I'm not there to kiss her myself." Chloe leaned in closer to the camera. "Seriously. I want you to do this. And it's not cheating or whatever you're worried about. We're soulmates and we're all connected. So, if you give her kiss while thinking about me, I'll feel it, too. That's all I want."

Which... made a weird sort of sense, and did assuage Max's concern. "Promise you won't get mad?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Dude, I know she's kissed you good night before and I didn't get mad. I won't now. Just kneel down next to her and do it already." She suddenly grinned. "But let me know if you rub one out afterwards."

This time, it was Max who flipped Chloe the bird, much to the punk's delight. "Whatever. Jeez." Max shifted the end table away to give herself space, making sure the camera was still pointed in Rachel's direction, then knelt down next to her. She reached out a hand and gently brushed a few strands of hair from Rachel's face. "Ready?" Max asked softly.

"Yeah," was Chloe's equally soft response.

Max nodded, then leaned forward. She focused on her bond with Chloe, felt the love she felt for Rachel and herself, brought to mind every lovely thing she felt for the sleeping blonde, and finally give Rachel a slow, sweet kiss. It lasted maybe a smidgen more than three seconds but it still felt absolutely wonderful. Max eased back, her face slightly flushed. She just kissed Rachel!

"Wowsers."

Max turned to the voice and grinned. "You took the words right out of my mouth." She shifted closer to the camera. "Did you feel that?"

Chloe nodded. "I did. Thanks, dude." She actually felt way more than she was anticipating and the depth of emotion she got from Max was more than a little humbling. Now definitely wasn't the time to discuss it, though, so instead, she gave Max a smile. "Have a good night."

"You, too."

Max watched Chloe close her laptop and did the same on her end before standing. She glanced around, making sure everything else was turned off, then quietly exited the room, closing the door behind her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly (trying not to do a happy dance), then finally made her way to the common room where her last unreciprocated soulmate waited.

"There you are," Alyssa said, removing her headphones and pausing whatever video was running on her laptop when Max entered. "I was wondering what kept you."

"Sorry about that," Max apologized as she sat on the couch next to Alyssa. "I got distracted by Rachel."

"Oh? Lots of kissing and making out, I take it?"

Max shook her head. "Not particularly, though I did kiss her goodnight." At Alyssa's curious look, she continued. "I noticed her room door was open a bit so I peeked inside, saw her asleep on her couch, and decided to tuck her in. Then, Chloe nearly gave me a heart attack by chatting through her laptop."

"I wish I could've seen your face."Alyssa said with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, har, har," Max said with a grin. "Once Chloe had her fun, she asked me to give Rachel a good night kiss on her behalf and asked me to really focus on our bond while I did it, so she could get those impressions, too."

"Chloe Price: punk rebel or gooey marshmallow?"

"Definitely both, but you better not say that second part to her face," Max jokingly advised.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Alyssa said with a grin. "But, did it work? Did you feel something?"

"Yes. I definitely felt an impression from Chloe as I kissed Rachel. It's kind of hard to describe but there was... Warmth. Contentment. Sweetness. Devotion. Love."

Alyssa smiled. Max didn't even realize she'd closed her eyes at the recollection. "Sounds pretty damn awesome."

Max blinked her eyes open. "It was. Is. Having soulmates, reciprocating these bonds, it's been the best thing ever." She sighed happily, then jerked upright. "Not that I'm trying to force you or coerce you or anything. I'm so sorry. I hope that didn't sound me trying to manipulate you or anything. I didn't mean it if I did. You certainly don't have to--"

"Max, Max, whoa, slow down there." Alyssa brought up both of her hands in a "you can stop now" gesture. "I already told you earlier I was going to reciprocate. No need to panic." She lowered her hands. "Seriously, did you think I was going to change my mind in the past three to four hours?"

"Um, maybe?" Max dropped her gaze and started scratched behind her neck. "Sorry. I hope I didn't offend you."

Alyssa fought desperately to keep from rolling her eyes. "You didn't offend me with either the first thing you said or the second. Just, tell me why you thought I'd say no now when I said yes before."

"I don't really know," Max said honestly. "I mean, when you say it like that, it does seem weird. But I just got this impression that you didn't want to, that's all. Like, a gut thing."

It was at that moment that Alyssa had a eureka moment. "Oh, I think I get it now. Damn! I didn't think that our bond had grown that much without a reciprocation." Her gaze turned inward as her mind started processing that thought. "But then again, it's been a bit over a week since we got our marks and you have been reciprocating with everyone else. Maybe having eleven other reciprocated bonds acts like a signal booster?"

Max blinked in confusion. "Um, sorry. Not following you."

"Hmm?" Alyssa looked up, and realized she hadn't explained herself. "Whoops. Sorry. Mind drifted for a moment. Let me get back on track: you said you got a gut impression that I didn't want to reciprocate, right?"

"Right."

"That's because you're right. Or, partially right." Alyssa blinked. "That's too many damn 'rights.' Anyway," she continued as Max snickered, "I was going to run an idea past you tonight, when you were done with everyone else. An idea I had about my reciprocation. And depending on your answer, that would change whether I asked you to reciprocate tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Stella mentioned something about you having a master plan," Max recalled, "but wouldn't explain what."

"Maybe not a master plan but definitely an idea. I ran it by all the others throughout the day and they've all agreed to it, though everything hinges on your answer." Alyssa lifted her hand. "That's not me trying to coerce you, though, or guilt you into saying yes. I would no more do that to you than you would to me."

Mad nodded at that. "Appreciate it."

"But, enough beating around the bush." Alyssa straightened. "One way or the other, everyone's going to be reciprocated by tomorrow. The whole school's going to know and, at this pace, the entire state and probably the whole country. It's a pretty big deal in a lot of circles, twelve soulmarks all appearing all at once."

"Right."

"But, it's not twelve. It's actually thirteen." Alyssa motioned to Max. "You. You haven't revealed yourself to anyone yet but you also know it's just a matter of time."

"Right again." Max shifted in her seat. "Everyone's been so damn good to me, keeping that under wraps for now. I just wasn't ready to go public yet."

"Which we all knew and understood. But, what about now?"

"Now, with everyone reciprocated... Well, almost," Max gave Alyssa an apologetic look. "But yeah, I think I could face that scrutiny. I knew I wasn't ready before but now, with twelve soulmates, their love and support, I know I could."

Alyssa beamed at that. "Perfect. So, the idea I had is centered on you revealing your identity as our fulcrum under controlled circumstances, to avoid an accidental revelation or, in a worse case scenario, getting cornered by the downstairs girls who might get desperate enough to find our other that they forget any notions of privacy, propriety, common sense, or the law, and assault you to find if you really don't have any soulmarks."

"Holy shit." Max blinked in shock. "You really think they would?"

"Well, maybe not," Alyssa allowed. "Pretty sure the odds of that happening are pretty low. But, if you think about it, they wouldn't have to. We're talking about a squad of girls willing to seduce their way across the entire boy's floor to find answers. And if they were sneaky enough, they really wouldn't even have to sleep with anyone, either. They could simply sweet talk a couple of the bullies, like Logan, to do their dirty work, get them to strong-arm a couple of the more reluctant guys to show off their arms, legs, and backs, prove they don't have a mark." She shrugged. "What if the girls convince him to jersey you in the halls? You'd be humiliated, everyone would see your mark before you were ready, and he wouldn't even be punished because 'it was just a prank,' he's on the football team and mostly untouchable because of that, and 'boys will be boys.'"

Alyssa painted a rather grim but still realistic picture of a possible future, enough for Max to come to one conclusion: "Well, fuck."

"Yeah, it sucks. And I'm not trying to scare you, really. I just know that stupid people will do stupid things and damn the consequences."

Max nodded at that, then looked to Alyssa. "So, what's your idea?"

"Glad you asked." The purple-haired girl went to her laptop and clicked on a specific tab on her browser. "I haven't told you about my mom yet, have I?"

"No, but I have a feeling that's about to change," Max said, nodding towards the laptop.

"Got it in one." And without further ado, Alyssa handed the laptop to Max.

Who read the biography of Margaret Anderson, photographer for National Geographic.

And was incredibly impressed.

Then, Alyssa explained her plan to Max.

Who said it was a great one and agreed.

Alyssa, absolutely grateful to Max, gave her a huge hug.

Which lingered for quite some time.

Until she finally broke away (very reluctantly, it should be noted) to text the rest of the girls one simple message:

**Me**  
We're a go.

* * *

The next morning was a rough one as everyone on the girls' floor woke up much earlier than usual for them. The ones who were still awake when Alyssa texted set their alarms and, once they woke up (bitching and moaning), made certain to bang on the door of everyone else who hadn't. Which meant that _everyone_ started off on the wrong side of the bed that Tuesday morning (Dana was the one exception, as she normally woke up early for her morning jog before classes).

But as bad as that was, the overcrowding in the bathroom was infinitely worse. Everyone was jockeying for position for the toilets, sinks, and showers, trying to get cleaned up and ready for the day. Usually, all twelve girls staggered their morning routines to avoid this exact scenario, but that just wasn't possible today. Most everyone was bumping into each other, taking faster than normal showers, trying not to spray toothpaste and mouthwash everywhere, and getting power cords to various hair dryers, curling irons, and hair straighteners tangled together in the worst possible way.

It would later be decided by everyone, Kate included, that "cluster-fuck" was the best way to describe that morning.

(Stella largely dodged all of this. Her habit of taking evening showers allowed her to use the sinks before most everyone else and kept her relatively free of the war zone. Most everyone else experienced bouts of raging jealousy at her seeming prudence. Max merely gave her a knowing wink.)

It was a close thing but everyone got to the main building at precisely 7:30 AM to be greeted by Principal Wells, DA James Amber, and Alyssa's mother, Margaret Anderson, who hurried forward to wrap her daughter in a great big hug. "There's my beautiful baby! Don't be shy, give your momma a big kiss." She began making exaggerated kissy noises, much to the embarrassment of Alyssa and the amusement of everyone else.

"Gah! Mom! I told you not to do this!" Alyssa protested, doing her best to squirm free of her mom's grip.

"It's a parent's duty to embarrass their children in front of their friends," Margaret stated, dropping the overly excited cutesy voice for one far more professional, though still lively. "I'm certain that Mr. Amber and Mr. Wells would agree with me."

Principal Wells simply gave her a polite smile while James grinned. "I have Rachel's baby pictures in my wallet as ammunition, in case I need to do so at a moment's notice."

"I swear I will burn those the first chance I get," Rachel grumbled.

"But enough about that." Margaret turned to the group of girls and gave them all a warm smile. "I know that all of you would much rather be in bed right now, so I wanted to thank you for making the sacrifice to be here for my daughter." Various "you're welcomes" and the like sounded out from the small crowd, making her smile. "Principal Wells has informed me that the cafeteria will be open at 8:00 like usual if you start feeling peckish but if you're like me and can't start your day without a cup of something hot, I've catered coffee, tea, and hot cocoa inside for all of us."

That news brightened everyone's face and in very short order, a modest crowd had gathered in the Photography lab. There were all the girls (Chloe showing up a bit later than everyone else on account she lived off-campus), all chatting with each other while nursing their beverage of choice; a small team of makeup artists to ensure all the girls were touched up here and there (this wasn't a model shoot, so everyone was spared getting dolled up); Isabella Rossi, photo editor from the National Geographic, on hand to provide encouragement or a cattle prod to Margaret, as needed; Mark Jefferson, who spent most of his time talking shop with Margaret and Isabella while helping them set up the studio lamps and camera stands; a couple of members of DA James Amber's legal team; Principal Wells and James Amber, who stood in the hall making small talk; and the occasional visit from security as they walked the halls to ensure there were no interruptions.

Around 8:20, everything was ready to go. Being that this was a momentous occasion, most everyone wanted to stay and witness Max and Alyssa's reciprocation but thankfully, professionalism and propriety won out. All the non-essentials left the room to either get breakfast or sit in the nearby Science Lab to read and relax, leaving just the thirteen girls and Margaret in the room.

On one side of the room, under a collection of studio lights, Max saw next to Alyssa and couldn't help but feel nervous. It wasn't everyday that she was the focus of the camera and certainly not from a professional such as Margaret! But before her head could start spinning itself into circles, she felt a hand grip hers. She turned and saw Alyssa giving her a warm smile.

"It's going to be fine. Mom's been doing this for fifteen years. You're going to look great. Hell, even I'm going to look great! And that's saying something."

"You always look great," Max said automatically. "Not many can pull off the goth/pixie vibe you do so well, never mind that smile you have when things fall into place just so."

Alyssa blinked, not expecting that at all. "I have a smile? Really?"

"Yeah. You exude this sense of immense satisfaction and quiet delight when you smile like that. I noticed it when we were snapping photos together at the Forestry Center last Saturday." Max snapped her fingers as something occurred to her. "Morticia Addams, from the movies! That's what your smile reminds me of. It's that 'I have you right where I want you' look." She grinned. "Very beautiful, very you."

Well. Alyssa felt a bit of heat come to her cheeks, which was surprising since she really thought her mom was the only one who could do that to her. She glanced around the room, seeing Stella, Kate, Victoria, and Taylor all nodding in agreement, but was spared having to come up with a reply when her mom stepped over to them.

"Told you you'd find someone who would compliment your good looks," Margaret stated as sat across from the pair.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Not going there. And besides, being soulmates is kind of cheating, don't you think?"

"Even soulmates have taste," Margaret countered. "And Max's tastes appear spot-on, am I right, dear?" she asked, directing that last part to Max.

Who shifted in her seat. "Um, I'd like to think so?"

Margaret smiled gently. "Are you nervous about the photo or about that whole 'meeting the parents' thing?"

"A little of both," Max admitted. "And, about going public. I know it hasn't been easy for all my girls but they've been handling themselves pretty well. I know I won't do as well in the limelight."

"I may not know your girls specifically," Margaret began, "but I do know about soulmates, having snapped their photos, interviewed so many, and transcribed their stories for the last eight years. I know they'll help you and keep you centered throughout this ordeal. And it will be an ordeal. I won't lie and call it otherwise. People can be pretty nasty at times and the only thing the general public ever seems to love more than seeing someone rise is to see them fall.

"But you will have friends and allies," she continued. "Even ones outside of your admittedly large circle here. And if no one else has said so just yet, I'll be the first to count myself amongst that group."

"Really?"

"Of course!" Margaret stated emphatically. "You're soulmates with my only beloved daughter, whom I cherish and adore with all my heart. Who knows she can always count on her momma to help if things get rough. Who can--"

"Enough already!" Alyssa threw her hands into the air in exasperation as a few of the girls watching snickered. "We get it, damn."

"Language," Margaret admonished lightly, though she was grinning at Max, who finally relaxed completely.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," Margaret replied, then stood. "Now that you're ready, and I can tell you are, let me get my camera into final position while you get ready to reciprocate."

Max turned to Alyssa and smiled. "You have an awesome mom."

"An aggravating one, you mean."

"Awesomely aggravating," Max said simply, then grinned at Alyssa's snort. "Is she why you want to be a photographer?"

"Yeah. Mom's been working for National Geographic for almost as long as I've been alive, flying all over the world, taking great photos, making certain her subjects' stories are told right. But despite all that flying around, she always makes time for me." Alyssa smiled. "I never once felt unloved or abandoned or neglected, even when her job always keeps her moving and extremely busy. Just don't tell her I said that. She has a big enough head as it is."

Max glanced over to Margaret, who pantomimed her head swelling like a balloon, then back to Alyssa. "She won't hear it from me."

"Good."

Shaking her head in amusement, Max reached forward and gently grasped her soulmate's left arm in both of her hands. Raising it, she softly stroked the soulmark with her thumb. "I take it you like wolves?"

Alyssa nodded. "I do. Mom took me to a wolf conservatory when I was really young, to get me to appreciate nature and the great outdoors, and I fell in love with them immediately. And by the way, no matter how big you think a wolf is, it's much bigger than that."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. Like, if a grey wolf were to stand on its hind legs and put its paws on your shoulders, it'd be taller than Chloe. And probably knock you over since they can weigh around 175 pounds."

"Wowsers." Max blinked at that and glanced over to Chloe, imagining a wolf head above her head and grinned. "I'd love to see one in person."

"We'll plan a trip, then," Alyssa said. "Trust me, you'll love it."

"Very cool." Max smiled. "Are you ready, then?"

"Ready and willing." Alyssa glanced over to her mom. "You?"

"Get hitched already."

Several girls snorted at that, including Max. Alyssa looked like she had some choice words to say on the matter but before had a chance, Max's lips made contact with her mark, and then, it was literally impossible to do anything but ride the wave.

* * *

When the December issue of National Geographic hit the stands, every copy within 50 miles of Arcadia Bay flew off the shelves as parents, friends, teachers, and even security all bought themselves a copy. They had all witnessed something rare and exciting, after all, and wanted something to remember it by long after the school year was over. Some were even lucky enough to get an autograph from the girls, too, though getting all thirteen took a lot of effort on account that some of them, like Rachel, Victoria, and amusingly enough, Brooke, acted very coy about giving away their autographs.

Max and the girls all received an advance copy from National Geographic directly, so they didn't have to worry about the nearby scarcity or trying to order the issue through the mail. Most kept their copies sealed in the plastic envelope they arrived in, not willing to damage it in anyway. Chloe, however, was more than happy to not just open hers up, but also cut out the full page image she liked the best to hang up on her wall. It was one of Max's back that showed off all thirteen reciprocated soulmarks, while twelve soulmark-bearing wrists bordered her back, each wrist positioned next to each girls' individual mark. Chloe loved the image and had plans to get a tattoo sleeve on her left arm of all the marks that would incorporate her own soulmark into the design.

As for Max, while she would happily agree that photo was a great one (and would likely win Alyssa's mom an award or three), her favorite photo was one that wasn't included in the article at all. Once it was taken, she asked if Margaret could send her a digital copy so she could print it off on some photo paper later. Apparently, Margaret had a different idea in store and today, on the last day of classes before winter break, Max received in the mail a cardboard tube that contained a poster, an SD card, and a short note that read:

> To my daughter's beloved,
> 
> I know you requested a digital copy but I figured I could do one better as I have access to a much better, and a much larger, printer than even your teacher, Mark Jefferson. I took the liberty of having the photo professionally laminated as well to so you don't have to worry about damaging it should you clutch it close to your chest while sobbing and crying your eyes out at what a great job I did.

(Max snorted out a laugh. She liked Margaret quite a bit.)

> Enclosed you'll also find an SD card that holds several dozen other photos that I took that morning, of you and all the girls, that I think you'll love. I know I'm not supposed to share them (property of NG and all that rot) but I trust that they'll never be posted anywhere but your walls, so I don't see the problem. And besides, in 40 years, when you think back on that day, you'll want some actual images to help you remember the good times.
> 
> Best of luck to you, you budding photographer you!
> 
> Alyssa's mom,  
Margaret Anderson
> 
> P.S. - I know she says she's straight but if she ever decides to have a little Sapphic experimentation phase with you, make sure you look her dead in the eye and say "I told you so!"

Once Max recovered from her blush, she carefully removed the poster-sized photo from the tube, unfurled it, and smiled, bright and free. There she was, right in the middle, seated on a chair, while all twelve of her soulmates sat or stood all around her, physically close, all with a hand on her body in some fashion. All of them were smiling widely because all of them were so happy, so full of joy, all convinced that life just couldn't get any better.

But, of course it could. And it did.

Their maturing soulbonds had led to some interesting scenarios the past couple of months, and there were more than a few painful conversations that took place, as each of them slowly discovered that there was simply no lying to one another (it was stupidly obvious) and long-buried secrets would inevitably find their way to the surface. But, no matter what, there was acceptance. There was understanding. And, most importantly, there was love.

"Maaaax~!!"

The brunette in question turned to the door, a smile on her face. "Be right there!" Max rolled the poster back up and slipped it into the protective cardboard tube, figuring she would hang it up once she returned from vacation. And what a vacation it was going to be! Almost the entirety of winter break spent in Orlando, Florida! Disney, Universal, all of it! She and the others couldn't wait.

Max grabbed the SD card (she wanted to show them to everyone else, too) and placed it inside a protective case, put that into her suitcase, then zipped it up. She was pretty sure she had everything she needed but, even if she forgot something, it wasn't like they were traveling to a foreign country. She could easily buy anything she'd forgotten, like toothpaste and deodorant, once they reached the resort.

Grabbing her suitcase in one hand, carry-on in the other, and feeling genuinely happy with life, Max turned and walked into the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concluded 13: Not So Unlucky Anymore. Will there be more? Maybe. I have a couple of ideas that may or may not see the light of day. It'll greatly depend if those ideas can spawn more scenes to help bolster the initial concept or not. Guess we'll just wait and see!
> 
> The ending scene/epilogue with Max packing her bags for a vacation is a call back to my [Disney World AU idea](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18481066) I posted a while back, which I may or may not write as a 13 continuation instead of a Worthy story. Totally undecided at this point. I just love my domestic AU fluff and that scenario can easily fit into either narrative just fine.
> 
> Why National Geographic? I used to have a subscription to that magazine after I had purchased two huge boxes of older issues at a yard sale a long time ago, and just fell in love with them. Hence, its appearance here. NG photographer Margaret Anderson and photo editor Isabella Rossi are both inventions of mine and any resemblance to any other persons, real or imagined, is completely coincidental.
> 
> I'm certain I'm forgetting something else in the end notes but if I think of it later, I'll add it in. Otherwise, as always, I'll be happy to answer any questions in the comments. Thank for your sticking with me on this journey!
> 
> Edit: 11/25-2019 - Reader and commenter SabbraCadabra pointed out an inconsistency in the beginning of this chapter. Originally, Max explained the reason for her current attire to Dana, who reacted normally to it. But this didn't make sense because Dana was one of the ones who helped select an outfit for Max in the first place. The reason for the inconsistency is I wrote the scenes out of order and finished this one before going back and adding Dana to the earlier scene, to get the flow right. And somehow, I kept missing it every time I edited this. I've altered the dialogue slightly to correct things.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [going easy on Max](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20830229) by [simpletextadventure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpletextadventure/pseuds/simpletextadventure)
  * [Expected surprise which turned out to be very unexpected](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20902247) by [simpletextadventure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpletextadventure/pseuds/simpletextadventure)
  * [Max saves Victoria](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22561831) by [simpletextadventure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpletextadventure/pseuds/simpletextadventure)


End file.
